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Date: 10/17/2023
EASTHAMPTON – The candidate pool is officially set for the upcoming Easthampton municipal election on Nov. 7.
According to information provided by the City Clerk’s Office, 10 candidates are competing for six seats on the School Committee, including incumbents Benjamin Hersey and Megan Harvey, as well as prospective newcomers Sam Hunter, Eric Guyette, Lynda Broadhurst, Linda Sue Markee, Laura Scott, Timothy St. John, Raymond Sliz and Patricia Covalli.
The high interest in these positions comes months after an incendiary superintendent hiring process made national headlines this past spring and summer.
The only other race on the ballot this year is for city councilor in Precinct 5 after current Precinct 5 City Councilor Daniel Rist announced back in March that he would not seek re-election. The two candidates running for the position are Tamara Smith and Jared Mitchell Hinkle. According to the city website, this race will be decided through the ranked choice voting mechanism.
As for other precincts, incumbents Salem Derby, Tom Peake, JP Kwiecinski, and Council President Homar Gomez are all projected to maintain their respective precinct roles with no contests as of press time.
Four candidates are up for four At-Large City Council seats, including incumbents Owen Zaret, Koni Denham, Brad Riley and newcomer Jason Tirrell.
The Easthampton election also features a question on the ballot which asks if residents would approve of the city using ranked choice voting for races where there is more than one winner, like in At-Large City Council and School Committee races.
The deadline for residents to register to vote is Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. in-person at the Public Safety Complex lobby or at 11:59 p.m. online that day. The election is Nov. 7 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.