Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 9/10/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – In the preliminary election that saw one of three candidates eliminated from the ballot, town attorney Will Reichelt and state Rep. Mike Finn came through as the two final mayoral candidates. Former mayor Greg Neffinger was voted off of the November ballot.
Reichelt finished first with 1,805 votes and 46.6 percent, followed by Finn, who had 1,371 votes. Neffinger finished with 687 votes and 17.75 percent.
Neffinger was elected mayor in 2011 and lost to current Mayor Edward Sullivan in 2013. Despite being eliminated from another shot at the mayor’s seat, Neffinger told Reminder Publications after the election that he wished Reichelt and Finn well.
“I want to say congratulations to my opponents for running a good race … It’s a job that requires fortitude, which I believe I have. I wish my opponents all the best,” Neffinger said.
Reichelt has served as town attorney since 2014 and had worked in the same capacity in Agawam under Mayor Richard Cohen. His campaign has been a grassroots effort with meet and greets and an active presences on social media, and though Reichelt was hesitant to call it a strategy, he said it has been working.
“I think [the voters] are thrilled to have someone new that’s running, someone that’s energized. They see that I’m working hard,” Reichelt said. “Every day I work my eight hour day job, and every afternoon and morning I was out holding signs, walking the streets, had an event to go to. My weekends have been charity events, meet and greets, golf tournaments. I try to be everywhere.”
As the November election approaches, Reichelt said this would remain the same.
“We’re going to do the same thing we have been doing, but two times harder,” he said.
Though he said he was a “nervous wreck all weekend,” Reichelt was thrilled with the voter turnout and celebrated the first milestone with his supporters at the Tatham Memorial Club.
“I don’t know if I’m a huge fan of Election Day nerves, but the results are fantastic. When I was home with my family waiting for the results, I said I’m honestly thrilled with the amount of people that came out to help,” he said. “Everyone that sat at the polls, checked the polls, made calls afterward and held signs all day long. I can’t ask for more than that.”
Finn and his supporters gathered at Sorrento Pizza after the final numbers came in. He continued to stress the importance of his experience in government at the local and state levels.
“We always knew that we were going to be the underdog in this race. We worked very hard to explain to people that experience really makes a difference and it’s not just a popularity contest,” Finn said. “We really tried to stress the fact that I’ve had eight years experience on the West Springfield City Council and five years in the legislature. I’ll be able to harness those connection to make West Springfield a great place to live.”
With volunteers out during the election on a scorching hot day, Finn said he and his team knew “this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint.” He said his opponents have worked hard, but when November rolls around, Finn said he thinks his efforts will have paid off.
“Everybody got out and did their thing and put forth their best message. I think that at the end of the day there was a lot of different things that came into play today,” Finn said. “We’re going to work and make sure that everybody comes out and votes in November, and we think the results are going to be there.”
The total voter turnout was just more than 24 percent.
Town Clerk Otto Frizzell said voter turnout for preliminary elections is usually about 20 percent or less. Despite having to change the preliminary election from Sept. 15 to Sept. 8 to avoid conflicts with Rosh Hashanah, Frizzell said he was happy with the final numbers and the participation of West Springfield’s registered voters.
“Any concern there may have been [about the date change] were erased with the turnout,” Frizzell said.
Voters have until Oct 14. to register for the Nov. 3 general election.