A vote for ward representation

Date: 7/30/2015

Ward representation had been a controversial topic on the Springfield City Council for a long time before it took effect in the 2009 election.

We are now observing the 2015 municipal election and the state of local elections looks very different from when I served on the school committee and city council.  

For years individuals on both sides debated what the outcome of such a change would look like. We can now look back on three completed elections as well as the current election in progress to measure the outcomes created by the Springfield City Council’s decision.  

After the initial 2009 ward election, where every ward had a contested election, there has been a slow increase in activity every two years since the implementation of the new system. With this 2015 election being the most active season since 2009, we are starting to see the intended impacts originally envisioned by those of us who fought for the ward system.  

Currently, in eight ward seats for the city council, six incumbents are being challenged. During the 2013 election, only four out of the eight incumbents on the council had been challenged. In 2011, there was only one contested ward race on the council.

If the rising numbers of activists and citizens turned candidates are any indication, Springfield’s elected leadership is becoming more like the residents it is entrusted to serve.

The diversity of the candidates running is one of the intended impacts of ward representation that we are seeing come to fruition.

Compared to 2013, where the council had only two female candidates, 2015 has five women candidates that have decided to make a run for office. In 2013 only one woman was running for election to a ward seat, in 2015 there are 3 women making an effort to represent their respective wards.

Ward representation has already made its mark on racial diversity on the council. Since 2009 there has been a consistent presence on the ballot, as well as in the council chambers, of people of color. Currently, five out of the eight ward councilors are men or women of color.

The 2015 election has seen that goal actualized with the fact that 12 out of the 16 candidates running for ward seats are people of color as well.

One could also make the case that candidates that have decided to run at-large have also been given a better environment to seek citywide election.

Candidates feel empowered to get involved; partly in thanks to the relationships they have built with ward councilors in their activism throughout the city.

Ward councilors are usually more accessible because of their focus on only one district; citywide activists have been working hand in hand with ward councilors and have benefitted from their experience and willingness to serve their communities, as well as their networks.  

A network of elected officials, neighborhood councilors, activists, and volunteers has grown out of the decision to make ward representation a reality.

While ward representation is still much in its infancy after 50 years of at-large elections, if the influx of new candidates, growing number of political activists, and the increased involvement of young people in their communities and their city is any indication, then I would say that the intended purpose of so many to return to ward representation in the city of Springfield is slowly but surely coming to fruition.

Jose Tosado
Springfield