This article was originally published in the October 2025 print edition.
Northampton Mayor and Smith alumna Gina-Louise Sciarra ‘96 is seeking reelection to address her key issues, including increasing education funding and protecting immigrant residents amid recent U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
Speaking to the Sophian, Sciarra credits Smith College with sharpening her passion for politics and commitment to public service. She emphasized deep political engagement during her undergraduate years, organizing LGBTQ-centered events and advocating for reproductive rights.
“It’s a really amazing opportunity to be with women from all over the world and to hear how their life experiences shaped their points of view,” she said.
Now, Sciarra’s connection to Smith is personal as well as professional. For her, it has been “interesting” to experience the college from multiple perspectives: as a Smithie, a community member and now, as mayor.
“I appreciate all that Smith has done with the city, and I really believe that it is a symbiotic relationship,” she said. “I would like to strengthen that relationship and have Smith contribute more to the city.”
After graduating from Smith, Sciarra worked as a political consultant in San Francisco then for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York City. She returned to Northampton with her husband ten years later.
Despite knowing just a handful of people in the area, Sciarra said she quickly became involved in community work by volunteering in a historic church restoration project and in other local political campaigns.
“I actually never had any intention of being a candidate myself,” she said.
That turning point came in 2013, when Sciarra’s friend on City Council retired and no one stepped up for the job. Hoping for a way to give back to her community, Sciarra decided to run. She held her seat on the City Council for six years before being elected council president.
“I felt a real sense of responsibility to my community that’s given me so much,” Sciarra said, citing Northampton’s broader support to her and her family. “The best way that I can imagine to give back has been to serve in this way.”
Sciarra was council president during the COVID-19 pandemic, and played a central role in the city’s policing reforms in the years following the murder of George Floyd. Sciarra said she worked with then Mayor David Narkewicz to create the Northampton Policing Review Commission, the first majority Black and Brown commission in Northampton’s history. The commission recommended forming a department to assist unarmed people in crisis. As mayor, Sciarra established the Division of Community Care within the Health and Human Services Department.
“Out of the many communities that have explored alternative policing, we are the only one that’s embedded it into public health and recognized a lot of these issues are public health issues as opposed to public safety issues,” Sciarra said.
When Narkewicz didn’t seek reelection in 2021, Sciarra decided to enter the mayoral race. She advanced from a four-candidate primary and won about 70% of the vote against Marc Warner in the general election with a platform focused on affordable housing and climate resilience.
As mayor, Sciarra said she spearheaded a community-led climate movement by establishing the Department of Climate Action and Project Administration, the first of its kind in Massachusetts, to integrate climate goals into every city initiative. The department aims to implement carbon neutrality in municipal operations by 2030 and achieve citywide neutrality by 2050.
“A project, any procurement, any initiative — we view it through a climate action lens and measure it against our decarbonization goals,” Sciarra said.
Securing 47% of the vote in the four-candidate primary in September, Sciarra will face Jillian Duclos in the general election on Nov. 4.
Sciarra said she is focused on the Picture Main Street Initiative, a project intended to improve safety and accessibility along Northampton’s Main Street. The road is ranked in the top 5% of “crash clusters” in Massachusetts, and the state has allocated $26 million to Northampton to redesign its crosswalks, sidewalks and underground infrastructure.
“If a city doesn’t evolve and change with the times and economic situations, it atrophies. So we really need to evolve and address safety,” Sciarra said.
The project will also double the number of trees downtown, widen sidewalks for pedestrians and outdoor dining, and expand the city’s “First Amendment space” by creating a plaza in front of City Hall for rallies and protests.
Another priority for Sciarra is education funding. As the Department of Education withholds funds and cuts programming, school districts are experiencing financial strain, particularly with respect to their obligation to provide special education.
“All of these different factors have created deficits in districts all across the country,” Sciarra said. “But, I’ve done everything I can do to direct as much sustainable funding as I can to our public schools.”
As mayor, Sciarra increased funding to public schools by 32%, which she described as a “historic increase.”
Reduced federal aid under the Trump administration has tightened city resources, raising funding issues across municipal services. Sciarra stresses the importance of reserve funds to address these challenges.
“We need to be prepared, particularly in a place like Northampton, which is an incredibly progressive city,” she said. “But we are not going to shy away from our values.”
To help address some residents’ concerns, Sciarra extended a Northampton executive policy to protect privacy rights for those seeking gender affirming care, something she worries will be threatened under the new administration.
“I want to make sure that we can weather this storm, which hopefully will be short-lived in this administration,” Sciarra said.
Residents have also voiced concern about the presence of ICE in Northampton.
Under the Trump Administration, ICE typically does not notify local law enforcement of their operations. However, Northampton has developed protocols to respond to ICE activity at schools or public buildings.
“I’ve worked very hard to try and protect people’s rights.” Sciarra said. “We are considered a safe city … and want to protect folks who could be in jeopardy as best we can.”
To achieve this goal, Sciarra assembled a coalition of local organizations supporting immigrants to coordinate response protocols in the event of ICE activity.
As she looks toward the upcoming election, Sciarra remains focused on guiding Northampton through political uncertainty, drawing on the values of community collaboration and service that motivated her to run for office.
“What’s driven me all along to stay in public office is that I feel so incredibly fortunate to have settled into this community that has given me an amazing sense of joy, friendship and community,” Sciarra said.
