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The Short List Breaks Down A Few Western Mass. Mayoral Elections

Contested mayoral elections took place in a half dozen western Massachusetts cities this week. Two of the closest races were in Westfield and Greenfield.

Westfield state Senator Don Humason beat city police Captain Michael McCabe by just 90 votes to become mayor.

McCabe pondered a recount, but conceded the race to Humason on Friday. They both spoke at a joint press conference.

"I think it was one of the best races that Westfield has seen in a long time, as is evidenced by the outcome, how close it was," Humason said. "And especially for a candidate who runs his first race, you [McCabe] did a great job."

Panelist Mike Dobbs said he was surprised a political veteran like Humason was locked in such a tight battle with a newcomer.

"I do think this speaks to Mr. McCabe's campaign," Dobbs said. "I think that he was issue-oriented. I think that he was well-capitalized. He bought a whole bunch of advertisting: billboards, print, TV."

Dobbs said Humason is a genuinely beloved political figure in Westfield.

"But you can't take that for granted," he said. "And in this particular case — yes, he is mayor, but what he has to do is to start appealing to the people who supported McCabe, and try to bring the community together."

In Greenfield, Roxann Wedegartner fended off two rivals to become the city's new mayor. She won with about 38% of the vote, and said she'll "do what's right" for Greenfield's residents no matter where ideas come from. 

"My door's going to be open," she said. "I want to hear people that have good ideas, have rational arguments behind what they want to do and see. And I'm willing to talk to anybody."

In both the preliminary and general elections, there were more people that voted against Wedegartner than for her, with three strong candidates in each race.

But panelist Chris Collins doesn't think that reality will make it difficult for her to gain the town's support.

"I think what she has to be concerned about is — there are a lot of challenges facing that community, financial challenges," Collins said. "DPW costs are going up. She's going to find, once she gets in office, that getting elected was the easy part. Governing is not going to be easy."

Collins said he thinks Wedegartner will have an easier time with the City Council than did outgoing Mayor Bill Martin.

"Martin has been sort of used as a piñata by that City Council the last couple of years, and I think Roxann's going to find the council much easier to deal with," Collins said.

In Springfield, Domenic Sarno cruised to re-election, defeating Yolanda Cancel by about a 2-to-1 margin. He was first elected mayor in 2007. The last four years haven't always been smooth for him — but he remains popular at the ballot box and has not recently faced any well-funded challengers.

Dobbs said he thinks Sarno is one of the most "outstanding native politicians" he's ever met.

"When you meet the mayor, he knows you, he knows the name of your spouse or your mom, he knows what sports teams your kids are on," Dobbs said. "And it's very genuine. He's authentic in his interest in people, and I think that has served him very, very well."

Dobbs said Springfield has seen some major developments in the last few years: the renovation of Union Station, a new factory for a Chinese railcar company, and an MGM casino.

"And I think that the completion of those three projects, frankly, scared away candidates," Dobbs said. "But now the question is going to be: In the next four years, what's going to happen with economic development?"

NEPR's Karen Brown reported this week that the Springfield Police Department couldn't point to any specific action it has taken to address officers drinking on the job. According to grand jury testimony, some officers denied drinking while on duty when talking to an internal investigator. A different story was told to the grand jury.

Springfield U.S. Rep. Richard Neal this week said if lawmakers fund a large-scale fix to the MBTA in eastern Massachusetts, east-west rail should also be a priority. State transportation officials are currently studying adding more passenger train service between the west and Boston. 

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Adam joined NEPM as a freelance reporter and fill-in operations assistant during the summer of 2011. For more than 15 years, Adam has had a number stops throughout his broadcast career, including as a news reporter and anchor, sports host and play-by-play announcer as well as a producer and technician.
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