The 22-year-old mayor moved quickly to replace The Paper City’s top lawyer and personnel director, and has set his sites on rebranding Holyoke as The Digital City. By MARY SERREZE HOLYOKE — Alex Morse — 22, openly gay, and new to elected office — was sworn in as the 37th mayor of this post-industrial city [...]

The inauguration of elected officials, a public reception at Look Park and an organizational City Council meeting will be held today. JAN. 3, 2012, NORTHAMPTON – Inauguration ceremonies for the newly elected mayor, members of the City Council and School Committee and other officials, will begin at 10 a.m. today at the Northampton High School. City [...]

The council’s newest member and highest vote-getter appears to have the council presidency sewn up two weeks before the formal vote on inauguration day.   By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – William “Bill” Dwight, who was elected Nov. 8 to an at-large seat on the City Council, will become that body’s junior member shortly after he [...]

NORTHAMPTON — It’s official — City Council President David Narkewicz will be the city’s 44th mayor. The 45-year-old former congressional aide and at-home dad defeated opponent Michael Bardsley, 62, a retired guidance councilor, by a 70% – 30% margin. Narkewicz has been serving as acting mayor since Sept. 9, when six-term mayor Clare Higgins stepped [...]

Races for mayor and for at-large city councilor, as well as a referendum question to repeal the Community Preservation Act, headline today’s election ballot. When and where do you go to vote? NORTHAMPTON – Municipal elections are today. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The election ballot features races for mayor, City [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Tuesday’s Daily Hampshire Gazette mayoral forum almost didn’t happen this year. On Monday, the city was reeling from an October snowstorm that cut electricity to the entire city over the weekend. The John F. Kennedy Middle School on Bridge Road was still without power, and Northampton Community Television, with its mothership studio in [...]

  Acting Mayor Dave Narkewicz Raised Almost Twice as Much Money as his Opponent, Former Councilor Mike Bardsley; Former Councilor Bill Dwight Raised $18,800, More than the Other Three Candidates Combined in At-Large Council Race. NORTHAMPTON – Acting Mayor David Narkewicz showed his fundraising muscle this year by raising more than $48,000 in contributions, almost [...]

NORTHAMPTON — If elected, would David Narkewicz pledge to be a single-term mayor? Will the next mayor “return” an elusive document to state regulators? What are the pros and cons of secrecy in collective bargaining? Are there any negative impacts from the city’s many bike paths, and who pays for graffiti removal there? And the [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Four pols, two seats. An hour and 15 minutes allotted. Questions answered in two-minute soundbites, in serial rotation. The mayoral hopefuls waiting in the wings, preparing to take the stage. It ain’t easy being an at-large candidate for City Council this year. Last Wednesday night, at the Bridge Street Elementary School, the Ward [...]

While Bardsley referred to a “great divide” in the city and extolled his support for the working middle class, Narkewicz spoke of common goals and a positive vision. Smith College Debate Complete mp3   NORTHAMPTON — There were few Kumbaya moments at Monday night’s mayoral debate, sponsored by the Smith College Democrats and held at [...]

Monday, October 17: The Smith College Mayoral Debate will be sponsored by the Smith Democrats and co-sponsored by Smith Republicans, Ward4Northampton and the Smith College Government Department and moderated by professor of government Howard Gold. The event is free and open to the public. Northampton mayoral candidates David Narkewicz and Michael Bardsley will field questions [...]

From “Clare Island” to “The Crew” — Mayoral candidate Michael Bardsley has an axe to grind with local government. But can he make it stick to his opponent, council president David Narkewicz? (Corrected Oct. 19) NORTHAMPTON — A political advertisement that ran in the Oct. 1 weekend edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette has become [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Should a proposed solar array at the city’s landfill be run as a public utility or by a private company? What about those vacant lots on King Street? Where should residents turn when it seems that the city’s planning and building departments aren’t enforcing their own rules? Should the mayor or the city [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Two mayoral candidates, four at-large city council candidates, a slate of hopefuls for the Community Preservation Committee, and even a slowly-simmering race in staid Ward 2. It’s election season in Northampton, which means debates, forums, lawn signs, campaign literature, meet-and-greets, and fundraisers galore. A mayoral debate held Tuesday night at the Northampton High [...]