Ashe wins Second Hampden District seatDate: 11/10/2008 By Courtney Llewellyn
Reminder Assistant Editor
For the first time in 35 years, the Second Hampden District State Representative's seat will be filled by a Democrat. Brian Ashe, the Democratic candidate from Longmeadow, defeated his Republican opposition, William Scibelli, also of Longmeadow, on Nov. 4.
Both candidates are members of Longmeadow's Select Board. Ashe will continue to serve on the Select Board until he takes his oath of office on the first Wednesday of January 2009.
Ashe will be taking the seat being vacated by Republican Mary Rogeness, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1991. He will be representing precincts 3 and 4 of of East Longmeadow, Hampden, Monson, Longmeadow and precincts B and C of Ward 6 of Springfield.
The Democratic nominee took Longmeadow by 685 votes, Hampden by 36 votes, Monson by 795 votes and Springfield by 654. Scibelli took East Longmeadow by 205.
Scibelli gave his concession speech before the results were in from Hampden, where Town Clerk Eva Wiseman was in her office until 3 a.m., tallying votes. Ashe waited until the vote was official before announcing his victory.
He joked at his party, which took place at Fazio's Ristorante and Pizzeria on Shaker Road in East Longmeadow, that one of his first goals as a representative was to set up an electronic voting system in Hampden.
Ashe plans on working toward bringing financial parity back to Western Massachusetts and has said that as a Democrat, he will be able to work with the rest of the House of Representatives instead of against them.
|
