Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Kos cruises to victory over Bissonnette for mayor

Date: 11/5/2015

CHICOPEE – The citizens of Chicopee sent a resounding message on Election Day that they are comfortable with the direction in which the city is headed under the guidance of Mayor Richard Kos.

Former Mayor and challenger Michael Bissonnette conceded the mayoral race within 30 minutes of polls closing, as Kos ran away with the vote by nearly a 2 – 1 margin.

“I’m not sure if surprised is the right word, but we’re very pleased. This is not my win. When you win an election in a city the size of Chicopee, it takes a lot of people and I’m so blessed to have so many friends and colleagues who believe in me and are willing to work,” Kos said.

Kos noted he was most pleased with the fact that he won every precinct in his 7,900 – 4,097 victory.

Bissonnette’s campaign was marred by a number of media reports ranging from outstanding taxes owed to the city, his use of a city-issued email account to access the adult dating site Ashley Madison, and issues with the Chicopee Police Department, including a lawsuit filed against him and the city by Police Chief William Jebb and an alleged incident at a polling location during the primary election that yielded criminal charges.

“I think people always want to have a candidate who not only respects the office, but how much of an impact did that have? I’d only be guessing,” Kos said.

Bissonnette, however, said those issues were a major factor in his inability to garner votes, and suggested the Kos campaign was involved in the level of scrutiny they received.

 

#Chicopee Mayor Kos wins reelection. "Every time it's special." #westernma #mapoli

A photo posted by Reminder Publications (@reminderpublications) on

“They threw the kitchen sink at me and that wasn’t going to get resolved by Election Day,” Bissonnette said. “I’m a big boy and Chicopee politics is often referred to as a bloodsport – it shouldn’t be that way, but it is.”

Bissonnette called his issues with the police department “huge” in the election.

“I think the fact that there’s an increase in crime, I think some people were concerned that I would have difficulty working with that department,” he said.

Kos said his ability to continue pushing public safety, education and economic development initiatives with another term would be a benefit to the city.

“Things we’ve been working on consistently. We’ve gotten quite a bit done in the first 23 months,” he said.

With regard to bringing employment opportunities to Chicopee, Kos said the results of his efforts would continue to be evident in the long term.

“We’ve done development where we’ve been encouraged, for instance the downtown with some initiative through which some businesses have relocated,” he said. “We’re working to be as business friendly as we can be and we’ll continue that effort going forward.”

Bissonnette said it was “too early to say” if he would run for office again, but thought his campaign in this election would have an impact on the future of Chicopee.

“We were able to bring some people with no experience in politics into the fray, and I think those people are going to be heard from in the future,” he said.

 

Mayor Kos decides to #shakeitoff after another tough #Chicopee campaign and thanks #vote for their faith in him.

A video posted by Reminder Publications (@reminderpublications) on