This article was originally published in the October 2025 print edition.
For Jillian Duclos, running for mayor of Northampton goes hand in hand with being a parent. Duclos, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, can often be seen with her son participating in standouts and door-knocking to get the word out about the upcoming election on Nov. 4.
In a small city like Northampton, where politics may be especially intertwined with interpersonal relationships, and amid a national political climate many view as increasingly polarized, Duclos emphasized her commitment to broad community involvement and grassroots movements. Describing her campaign — led primarily by door-knocking and one-on-one conversations with residents — to The Sophian, she said, “It’s about what the people who live in this community need, not necessarily what I see. My approach is, ‘what’s working, what’s not working, and what would you like your mayor to do for you?’”
Duclos’ experience working in the service industry and local politics are central to her campaign. Her resume is wide-ranging: Duclos has worked at every level of the restaurant industry, from barista to business owner, interned for Senator Elizabeth Warren, worked in public relations, conducted community outreach for a prison rehabilitation nonprofit and lobbied for addiction recovery legislation, ultimately leading to her most recent role as executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association.
Much of this success, Duclos said, can be attributed to the support she received from peers and teachers while attending public schools and Holyoke Community College. After taking a break from school and organizing a local grassroots political campaign, she attended Mount Holyoke College as a Frances Perkins Scholar. This, Duclos said, is where she established some of her political connections and gained organizing experience.
In Duclos’ view, a primary concern for many Northampton residents this election season, as well as one of the reasons she decided to enter the mayoral race, is the perceived lack of transparency and cooperation between the mayor’s office and the community. She described a frustrating sense of distrust and confusion among residents, particularly regarding issues of school funding, capital projects, taxes and public services.
“There’s a lot of talk about ‘Oh, just trust the mayor, the mayor is leading and has the answers,’” Duclos said. She believes that right now, there is “a small group of people who don’t always necessarily have the expertise, and they have an inability to confront that.”
This rift between city leadership and residents has resulted in a broad coalition of forces advocating for greater transparency, a more democratic process, and a reorientation of political and fiscal priorities.
The Support Our Schools (SOS) movement, a grassroots organization of teachers, parents, students and community members was founded in 2022 in response to what members describe as chronic underfunding of public schools and city services.
The coalition and its political action committee (SOSSPAC) have endorsed a slate of candidates running for mayor, city council and school committee. Originally, Duclos decided to join the mayoral race separately from SOS, but has since accepted the organization’s endorsement.
Duclos connects the struggle for adequate public school funding to what she sees as the general erosion of communication and cooperation between the community and local government. “We have become a community that has become very comfortable with competing with one another. Taking from one to give to another, pushing others down to allow others to rise,” she said. “Capitalism in general breeds that kind of environment.”
Mayor Sciarra and the majority on the Northampton City Council have stated that the city lacks sufficient funds to meet all budgetary demands, and properly funding public education would require cuts to other budget items, such as the repair of roads and sidewalks. Some residents, including candidates running on the SOS platform, dispute that claim by pointing out that the $12 million budget surplus from the last fiscal year. Sciarra has also approved millions of dollars for “rainy day” funds and capital projects, including the Community Resilience Hub. Meanwhile, according to Northampton residents who have spoken with the Sophian, the city government has neglected both the schools and roads, and many worry about the long-term affordability of living in Northampton.
Residents and SOS-aligned candidates have criticized the current administration for prioritizing major capital projects over basic community needs, as well as for making these decisions behind closed doors. As Duclos explained, “We have a very educated community that’s very hands-on, that really wants to be part of the solution and help us all work together to put forward better ideas around some of these hurdles that we’re hitting. And they have found that (when) reaching out to the mayor’s office, they’re not being let in.”
Duclos said she sees the role of local government as a body that can protect the community from the broader pressures of federal mandates. She said these ideals are inseparable from the practical aspects of city governance. “It’s roads and sidewalks, it’s public education”— issues that might not be as visible as state or national politics, but are integral to a healthy community.
“To me, this work is really about the best step forward,” she said. “There is no right or wrong or good or bad, it’s just ‘where are we, what are the realities, and how can we put our best foot forward to get through?’ And we need to do it as a community and we need to do it together.”
This is one part in a series of interviews with the candidates endorsed by the Support Our Schools PAC. Jillian Duclos is running for mayor against incumbent Gina-Louise Sciarra on November 4th.
ELECTION INFORMATION
Smith students who are registered to vote in Massachusetts based on their Smith College (Ward 2) address are eligible to vote in this local Northampton election cycle. The deadline for voter registration was on Oct. 25. The deadline for mail-in ballots is Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. Smith students are able to cast their ballots in-person on Election Day, Nov. 4, at the Smith Vocational School at 80 Locust Street from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You may be asked to show identification.
