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Date: 11/9/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Four incumbents topped the School Committee election table on Nov. 2, with the two remaining seats taken by challengers who had been endorsed by a retiring committee member.
Nancy Farrell earned the most votes in the eight-way race for six seats, with 2,234, followed by fellow incumbents Colleen Marcus (2,156), William Garvey (2,117) and Kathleen Alevras (2,108). Two West Springfield School Committee members chose not to run for re-election, Jennifer Marcus and Pat Garbacik. Taking their place will be two newcomers whom Garbacik publicly endorsed along with the four incumbents: Diana Coyne, who garnered 2,072 votes, and Kira Thompson, 1,788 votes.
Challenger Robert Mancini finished seventh, with 1,463 votes, followed by Antonio Sorcinelli with 1,188.
Farrell said she is excited to have earned another two-year term.
“This past year has been very difficult and challenging,” she said. “During the next two years, I will continue to work hard to ensure that all students have the best education possible. As a committee, we will continue our work on developing a sound budget and addressing the facilities needs of the district.”
Thompson, a newcomer to elected politics, said she appreciated that her hard work to connect with voters had paid off.
“I was number seven on the ballot, so every single vote I received was someone who supported my campaign and believed that I would be an asset to West Springfield,” she said. “This was a very humbling realization. One thousand seven hundred and eighty eight members of our community know what I stand for and want me to represent them. This means more to me than where I finished.”
Thompson said she chose to base her campaign on facts and on what she could bring to the committee, and avoided negative statements about opponents. She said she believes voters saw her as someone who could represent parents on the school board, and as a hardworking and cooperative individual. Her priority, she said, will be to make sure the School Committee doesn’t get stuck in “business as usual.”
Alevras, Coyne, Garvey and Marcus were not available for comment in time for The Reminder’s print deadline.
Although Mancini missed the cutoff, finishing seventh, he said he was not surprised for where he placed based on all the “great people” who ran for the same seats. He said there’s nothing he would have done differently in his campaign.
“It’s tough to beat an incumbent,” he said. He said his nearly 1,500 votes was a good showing for a candidate with no advertising budget. “I accepted [the loss] and need to move forward.”
Mancini congratulated Coyne and Thompson on their election. He added that “the people on the School Committee now, they were dealt a hand that nobody can imagine being dealt [this past year]. They did the best they could.”
Having run in several town elections, Mancini said this year’s has been his favorite.
“I had a goal and a vision and I accomplished a lot by talking to people and getting my name out there,” he said. “I won over the hearts of people in West Side.” He said he isn’t sure if he will run for School Committee again, but “stay tuned. There is big news coming soon.”
Sorcinelli, who feuded with incumbents and ran on a platform sharply critical of the School Department’s response to COVID-19, said he was “disappointed but not surprised” with the election results. He said the 19 percent turnout favored the status quo, and he would have done better with 50 percent turnout and more chances to have his voice heard.
“I was disappointed that candidate night was canceled, that I was removed from all the large town Facebook forums and that my microphone was turned off during public comments for mentioning another candidate’s voting record,” Sorcinelli added. “I also don’t feel teachers should have a professional development day every election, where they have to go into work with no students and have the opportunity to vote during working hours. It makes it extremely easy for teachers to vote, while making it more difficult for parents to get out and vote, with their children being home all day. We know the teachers union already has a large political influence and I believe this is an unfair advantage that results in nearly a 100 percent turnout for the teachers union in every election.”
Throughout his campaign, Sorcinelli said he ran like an activist and not a politician.
“I did a good job getting my message out, but failed to develop those personal relationships you need to get people to show up and vote,” he said. He thanked his supporters and congratulated the winners.
Sorcinelli said this would likely be his only run for School Committee.
“I felt obligated to run after being critical of the School Committee’s decision to stay full remote, mandate masks, and impose excessive quarantines,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the type of person who only complained but didn’t do anything to make a change. I’m hoping someone more suited to politics will step up.”
School Committee members serve a two-year term, and the new members will take office in January 2022. In addition to the six members elected last week, the mayor serves ex officio as chair of the committee.