This story will be updated when results are finalized.
Northampton residents cast their ballots for the municipal election on Nov. 7, 2023. At-large and ward City Council seats and positions for the Northampton School Committee were on the ballot, as well as positions on the Community Preservation Committee, Trustees of the Forbes Library, an Elector under the Oliver Smith Will, and Trustees of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.
Here are the initial results after polls closed at 8 pm:
As of 10P:10 pm, Marissa Elkins and Garrick Perry are in the lead with 3664 and 3061 votes respectively for City Councilor At-Large. David Murphy has 1888 votes, and Roy Martin 439 votes.
For the School Board At-Large election, Gwen Agna and Aline Davis are in the lead with 3976 and 2640 votes respectively. Meg Robbins is slightly behind with 1857 votes.
For superintendents of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, J. Spencer-Robinson has 3512 votes, Richard D. Aquadro has 3147 votes and Michael T. Cahillane has 3182. All are incumbents.
Elector Under the Will of Oliver Smith Will is close, with David Murphy at 1901 votes and incumbent Mary Odgers at 2371 votes.
For Ward 3, Quaverly Rothenberg currently has 505 votes, 169 votes have been counted for write-in candidate Claudia Lefko.
Katy Wight is in the lead for Trustees of the Forbes library with 2767 votes, followed by Ruth Francis with 2515 votes, Anne Teschner with 2354 and Alexander George with 1521 votes.
For the only contested School committee race, Ward 4, incumbent Micheal Stein is in the lead with 356 votes, Endamian Stewart follows with 264 votes.
Outside of polling locations at the Northampton Senior Center and Jackson Elementary School, voters, candidates and volunteers were in high spirits and excited about the municipal elections.
Four candidates ran for two at-large City Council seats in this election, David A. Murphy, Marissa Elkins, Garrick M. Perry, and Roy C. Martin. Elkins and Perry are in the lead based on preliminary results. However, none of the City Council Ward seats were contested, so voters in each ward had the option of voting for the candidate on the ballot or writing in a candidate.
Mick Mattern, Northampton resident, identified himself as a bullet voter, meaning he went in to vote for write-in candidate for City Council Ward 3, Claudia Lefko, and no one else.
“I have known her for quite a while and I feel for the city, it is good she is questioning how the Main Street project is being developed and she’s got a real concern for the neighborhoods, what buildings are being put up of any kind and if it is something that the people in the neighborhood want, do they have any say about what it looks like. I think she is generally for the average person and caring for people,” said Mattern.
Quaverly Rothenberg, a candidate for Ward 3, was on the street corner outside of the Northampton Senior Center waving signs with her supporters.
“I always say that it comes back to civil rights, which I think is surprising to some people because municipal work is often about things like potholes and sidewalks,” said Rothenberg, who was excited about the election. “At the end of the day, it is about our dignity and ability to work together and maintain peace and think of our future because the city council is also thinking about things like policing and housing and things that really do affect us on a civil rights level.”
For the Northampton School Committee race, incumbent at-large committee members Gwen Agna and Aline Davis, as well as Ward 1 committee member Meg Robbins, ran for the at-large seats. The only contested race for Ward School Committee member was in Ward 4, where Endamian Stewart is running against incumbent Michael Stein.
Lois Ehrens, a Northampton voter, supported Meg Robbins for the school committee, and stated, “She’s been on the school board and done an excellent job, I would say she is hyper-prepared, not just regular prepared, she has a lot of experience, not just on the school board, and she is someone who can focus on the particulars, but also is a larger conceptual policy thinker.”
The School Committee was a priority for many voters. “The school committee is really important and I hope that this committee can take some actions to get the MCAs taken off the requirements,” said Fran Volkmann, who supports Gwen Agna for the at-large seat.
“I am also voting for Garrick Perry, he seems like a go-getter!” Volkmann added.
Outside of Jackson Street Elementary School, Robert Wood waved signs for Michael Cahillane, candidate for Trustee of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, and Garrick Perry, candidate for Councilor at large. Jackson Street Elementary School, a polling location for Ward 1, has a tradition of holding a bake sale on Election Day and is the only Ward that does so.
“Michael Cahillane and his family have been family friends forever, and he has been working with the Smith school forever and everyone seems to be happy there. He is very dedicated to what he does for the school,” said Wood
Marissa Elkins and Garrick Perry, candidates for City Councilor at-large, had supporters exiting the polls, with voter Edith Ellin saying, “I am concerned about city councilor at large, and I am particularly concerned we are going to look at an override vote. I want people who are going to scrutinize the budget, but do a good job, so I am supporting Garrick Perry and Marissa Elkins.”
Many Northampton voters were focused on housing and the city’s budget. Candidates such as Marissa Elkins, Garrick Perry, and David Murphy made housing and the budget central to their campaign.
“Housing, definitely affordable housing, and also healthy clean stable housing that is not falling apart like my apartment that was built four years ago,” said Jamie Garren when asked about their priorities on election day.
Local municipal elections hold a lot of importance for citizens and these results will ultimately have a great impact on the city of Northampton.
