Hampden county will elect 2 mayors, multiple city councilors, school committee members Tuesday

Hampden County voters will go to the polls Tuesday to select two mayors and choose between dozens of candidates for city councils and school committees.

In Westfield, Mayor Michael McCabe, 63, is running for his third, two-year term against Andrew Mullen, 39. In West Springfield, William Reichelt is running for his fourth, four-year term against City Councilor Daniel M. O'Brien, a former police officer.

In the remaining cities, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, Chicopee Mayor John L. Vieau and Agawam Mayor Christopher Johnson are all running unopposed. Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is in the middle of a four-year term, so that race is not on the ballot.

There are a host of hotly contested city council and some school committee races in the communities but elections officials are questioning if that will be enough to bring out voters.

"Without a mayor's race it is harder to get people to come out," said Chicopee City Clerk Keith Rattell. "In a municipal election, all eyes tend to fall on a mayor's race."

But in Chicopee one of the most talked about races is surprisingly the collector's race which pits long-term School Committee member Sandra Peret against Rajesh "Raj" Sanghvi, a local business owner. The two came out on top after a three-way preliminary race in September and their race Tuesday may draw a higher turnout, Rattell said.

The position has been held for years by Stanley Iwanicki , who is retiring. Treasurer Marie Laflamme and the two long-term assessors, Laura McCarthy and Brian Suchy, are all running unopposed, although the higher vote getter in the assessor's race will receive the longer four-year term.

There is some interest in the Chicopee City Council races, especially in the at-large race where there are two open seats, one held by the late Robert Zygarowski, who died in March, and the other by Timothy Wagner, who moved out of the city. In that race seven candidates are running for four seats.

Still Rattell, who has run many elections, said he isn't confident those races will attract that many people and is predicting a 14% turnout based on past numbers and his experience in similar elections.

In Springfield, voter turnout for the preliminary election — where there were three races in four different wards — was bleak with a record low 3.4% of eligible voters casting ballots in September.

But there is a full slate of 29 candidates running with opposition and all but four races are contested in Springfield.

There also have been some controversies and political infighting in Springfield and Holyoke, which could draw more interest among voters.

In Springfield, the at-large City Council race has attracted the most attention with all five incumbents running for reelection. They are being challenged by three candidates who all have run before, including Justin Hurst, a former city council president, who decided to challenge Sarno for mayor two years ago and was accused of buying votes . He denies the allegations.

The Ward 1 City Council race is also mired in controversies when incumbent Maria Perez was fired from her 40-year job at New North Citizens' Council. It was later uncovered that a press release inferring she was fired over illegal activities was authored by her opponent, board member Joesiah Gonzalez. That release was later withdrawn, Gonzalez resigned from the board and Perez is suing saying the firing was without cause and a political attack.

Holyoke has had its own controversies with Mayor Joshua Garcia jumping into the elections even though he has no opponent.

In social media and flyers mailed to people, Garcia is pushing residents to vote against several City Councilors who have been blocking him on his plan to restructure the financial department.

During this election the criminal pasts of at least two candidates — one in Holyoke and the other in Chicopee — have come to the forefront.

In Holyoke, Peter Diaz , a candidate running for an open seat in Ward 4, has a history of criminal convictions in Connecticut that include manslaughter, stalking and repeated violations of restraining orders. Diaz, who is running against community activist Richard Purcell, said he has turned his life around and wants to give back to his community.

Chicopee City Council Ward 2 candidate Joseph Bretton has an open case in court accusing him of money action claims and over residential issues.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Westfield and Chicopee; from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Springfield, West Springfield and Holyoke and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Agawam.

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