Holyoke, Massachusetts, will hold its preliminary election for mayor on Tuesday. Voters will have a crowded field of seven to choose from, with the top two finishers advancing to November’s general election.
The seat is open after former Mayor Alex Morse resigned earlier this year to become town manager of Provincetown following more than nine years in office.
With such a large field, a recent debate broadcast on Holyoke Media was as much about the candidates trying to introduce themselves to voters as it was about the issues.
Rebecca Lisi has been a Holyoke city councilor since 2008.
“Over the years, I’ve developed a reputation as a city councilor who does their homework and gets things done,” Lisi said in the debate, which was sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and the Holyoke Taxpayers Association. “I’m an effective leader because I am listening to you. I hear your multiple concerns and your perspectives, and I work to find a path forward.”
Another veteran of Holyoke politics running for the corner office is Devin Sheehan, who’s been on the school committee for more than a decade. The committee has been essentially powerless in recent years. The state labeled the city’s schools "chronically underperforming" and took over the district in 2015.
In the debate, Sheehan expressed fiscal caution about a proposal to build a new middle school.
“Building a new school or other municipal projects or purchases in the city needs to fall under our current debt service and our city budget,” Sheehan said. “We cannot continue to put more on the back of taxpayers.”
Sheehan said his background in finance in Springfield would help him as mayor.
Billy Glidden, a former aide to Morse, also leaned on his experience — both in Holyoke City Hall and at a housing and mental health nonprofit in New York City.
“I have experience with building consensus, working with people, activating people’s power to transform their own lives,” Glidden said. “I really think that’s what this moment calls for.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqGCNRCJoJE
While some candidates touted their credentials, others in the field are political newcomers, like Christopher Kosinski. He said improving education is key to moving Holyoke forward, as is dealing with crime and the perception the city isn’t safe.
“Why would anyone want to come to the city of Holyoke?” Kosinski said. “I hear it all the time: ‘Chris, I’m not happy to go there and walk on the streets. You know, there’s too much violence.’”
One of the main topics of the debate was economic development and how to bring more businesses and jobs to a city with among the highest poverty rates in the state.
Candidate Joshua Garcia, currently the town administrator in Blandford, said Holyoke needs to invest in other areas to make that happen.
“We want businesses to come here, but we’re not investing in our community and our businesses,” Garcia said. “We have crumbling infrastructure taking place, we have public safety issue concerns.”
City Councilor Michael Sullivan sees another issue with getting businesses to come to Holyoke.
“We have the highest commercial tax rate in the commonwealth,” Sullivan said. “Of all 357 cities and towns, we have the highest rate. That has to come down. That’s obstacle for businesses coming to Holyoke.”
Gloria Caballero-Roca, an educator, is taking a different approach to economic development, saying the city should invest in smaller, locally owned businesses instead of larger ones.
Some candidates agree aging infrastructure needs to be fixed or replaced. But Caballero-Roca said she wants to see investment in Holyoke’s human infrastructure — schools and social services.
“These are not times for big projects, these are times for just focusing on each other as human beings, as collaborators,” Caballero-Roca said.
Fundraising ahead of the preliminary election has been brisk with the candidates having raised more than $150,000 combined as of the end of August, according to state campaign data.
Glidden had raised nearly $48,000, Sullivan almost $40,000 and Lisi better than $32,000. Kosinski is the only candidate to have not filed a campaign finance report.
City Councilor Terry Murphy has been serving as acting mayor for much of the time Morse’s departure for the Cape.
The winner in November will be sworn in as mayor when the election results are made official, which the city clerk said could be just a few days after the vote.
But right now, these candidates are only focused on Tuesday — and making sure they finish in the top two.
