The Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Council will pick an acting mayor on Monday from its own ranks. Two candidates have stepped forward.
After Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse departed for a job in Provincetown in late March, the city council president, Todd McGee, stepped into the role. But McGee, citing his job at MassMutual, said he can't stay in the position.
With a municipal election coming in November, the City Council asked the state to allow it to avoid a costly special election and fill the job until then with one of its own. Governor Charlie Baker signed off on the bill last week.
One of the candidates is City Councilor Terry Murphy.
"It's going to be a challenging seven months for whoever gets it, but I think I'm good at working with people and I'm pretty good in terms of financial numbers and budgeting," Murphy said.
The other person vying for the job is City Councilor Peter Tallman, who served in the Army and the Air National Guard.
"It takes a team player to be in the military and to work together," he said, "and I think I have that attitude to work to the betterment of this community."
Both men said they'll fully support the other if they lose and will not run for the permanent job in November. Three other Holyoke elected officials have announced their intentions to do so.
