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Holyoke voters approve charter change for treasurer position

City Hall in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Dusty Christensen
/
NEPM
City Hall in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Voters in Holyoke have approved making the city treasurer an appointed position instead of an elected one.

City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said she's pleased by the result.

"This kind of aligns with a lot of other steps that both the city council and the mayor are working towards to try and improve the internal finance structure in the city," she said.

The special election Tuesday drew scant turnout, with only 843 out of the city's 30,702 registered voters coming out to the polls. The question — "Shall the Holyoke City Charter be amended to change the position of City Treasurer from an elected position to an appointed position?" passed by about a two-to-one margin, with 572 yes votes and 270 votes.

Murphy-Romboletti added that removing politics from the treasurer's office and ensuring a professional has the job were also key components for supporting the change.

"Taking all of that out of it and making sure we are getting someone who is really qualified to do the job, that's what's really important," she said.

Holyoke's current treasurer, Rory Casey, will remain on the job for the next year. He has publicly said he will not be applying for the position.

At the end of Casey's term the city council will vet candidates and appoint a new person. The new treasurer will work under oversight from Mayor Joshua Garcia.

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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