Tuesday is municipal Election Day across western Massachusetts. There are contested mayoral races in six communities, including three where incumbent mayors are not running for another term.
In Holyoke, City Councilor Michael Sullivan faces Joshua Garcia, who works as the town administrator in Blandford. In September's preliminary, Sullivan finished about 300 votes ahead of Garcia in a seven-way race.
After nearly a decade in office, Alex Morse resigned as Hoyoke's mayor earlier this year to become the town manager of Provincetown on Cape Cod. City Councilor Terry Murphy has served as acting mayor for most of that time.
In Northampton, City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra and transportation analyst Marc Warner are on the ballot. Sciarra had 60% of the votein a four-candidate preliminary and has held a large fundraising advantage over her rival. Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz opted not to run for another term.
The mayoral election in North Adams will be a historic one. The second-largest community in Berkshire County will elect a woman as mayor for the first time. Planning board member Lynette Bond was less than 200 votes ahead of her opponent, former city treasurer Jennifer Macksey, when voters narrowed the field in September. The pair finished well ahead of two other rivals.
There are also three western Mssachusetts mayors facing challengers on Tuesday.
In Westfield, incumbent Don Humasonis being challengedby retired police captain Michael McCabe. It's a rematch of two years ago, when Humason beat McCabe by just 90 votes to win what was then an open seat. It was a solid showing in 2019 for McCabe, a political newcomer at the time, against Humason, who spent more than 15 years in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Agawam's mayor, Bill Sapelli, is seeking a third two-year term. Charles Alvanos, who runs a financial planning business, is looking to unseat him. Like in Westfield, there was no preliminary in Agawam.
In Easthampton, incumbent Nicole LaChapelle, who has been mayor since 2018, is looking for a four-year term. She has two rivals: brewery owner Eric Berzins and resident Keith Routhier. Neither challenger has reported raising any money this campaign season.
With the exception of Agawam, these communities offered in-person early voting over the last week of October, under COVID-19 accommodations put in place by state lawmakers. Mail-in ballots are due back to city and town clerks' offices by the time polls close Tuesday. They can also be dropped off in person.
Polling place hours for municipal elections vary by community, as they are set by local election officials.
