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Mayoral Race
Senator Rosenberg Hosts Inaugural Ceremony; School Group Sings Ode to Higgins
by Mary Serreze | Jan 4, 2010 11:18 am | Comments (0)
Senator Stanley Rosenberg served as master of ceremonies this morning at the Northampton High School as newly-elected city officials were sworn in. A modernist rendition of the the National Anthem was delivered by the Northamptones, a small a cappella vocal group consisting of select high school musicians, and the American flag was honored with an old-fashioned Pledge of Allegiance, led by Director of Veteran Services Steven J. Connor.
Continue reading ‘Senator Rosenberg Hosts Inaugural Ceremony; School Group Sings Ode to Higgins’ »
Higgins: Congratulations and Good Luck
by Mary Serreze | Nov 4, 2009 12:29 pm | Comments (1)
It’s the first day of the year.
The electoral year, that is. The elected will take office on the first Monday of 2010, but all over the city, political players awoke this morning with the knowledge of change.
Continue reading ‘Higgins: Congratulations and Good Luck’ »
NCTV Live Election Coverage
by Mary Serreze | Nov 4, 2009 1:57 am | Comments (1)
Mary Serreze and Henry White anchor the studio while David Pakman works City Hall. Election Night 2009, Northampton, Massachusetts on Vimeo. Real-time collaboration between Northampton Community Television, Northampton Media, and the syndicated radio show Midweek Politics.
Television production by NCTV; Rip, encode, and video upload by Northampton Media courtesy of NCTV. Click on the image to watch video on Vimeo.
Watch the Ward 3 upset, as upstart Angela Plassmann defeats Bob Reckman… The landslide No vote on the non-binding landfill expansion question, along with a great interview with Mimi Odgers, the organizer of that ballot initiative… the Pakman interview with Tim Carpenter, director of Progressive Democrats of America... conversations with Jesse Adams, David Narkewicz, Gene Tacy, Mayor Clare Higgins, and more.
HIggins Re-elected; Plassmann Upsets Reckman, Landfill Expansion a Resounding No
by Mary Serreze | Nov 4, 2009 12:22 am | Comments (1)
Mayoral Race:
Incumbent Mayor Mary Clare Higgins: 5034
Challenger Michael Bardsley: 4690
At-Large City Council:
David Narkewicz: 5950
Jesse Adams: 4844
Katy Silva: 3328
Ward One:
Incumbent Maureen Carney: 853
Challenger Andrew Vidal McNair: 364
Ward Two:
Paul Spector: 657
Ward Three:
Challenger Angela Plassmann: 576
Incumbent Bob Reckman: 508
Ward Four:
Pamela Schwartz: 741
Brian Foote: 217
Ward Five:
David Murphy: 1043
Ward Six:
Marianne LaBarge: 1392
Ward Seven:
Gene Tacy: 936
Deb Jacobs: 731
At-Large School Committee: (two winners)
Michael Flynn: 5224
James Young: 2787
Blue Duval: 2443
Robert Schroeder: 1805
Non-Binding Ballot Question:
Shall the City of Northampton Expand the Landfill over the Barnes Aquifer?
NO: 5,482
YES: 3,107
La Prensa Endorsement Dishonors Real Victims
by Guest Columnist | Nov 2, 2009 4:51 pm | Comments (0)
Feminists say the personal is political. But when politics gets too personal, it’s usually a sign of a campaign that’s run out of ideas.
Today, Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins’ website prominently displays an endorsement from the Latino newspaper La Prensa that accuses challenger Michael Bardsley’s supporters of sexism and homophobia. Such vague slanders do not belong on the website of an elected official who has sworn to represent all the citizens of Northampton, not only those who give unquestioning allegiance to her policies. The mayor could have noted the endorsement without perpetuating a climate of fear and misinformation—unless, of course, she would like to distract the voters from the real issues.
The La Prensa editorial states:
Continue reading ‘La Prensa Endorsement Dishonors Real Victims’ »
NorthamptonMedia Endorses….
by Mary Serreze | Nov 1, 2009 10:06 am | Comments (0)
NorthamptonMedia will not be endorsing any candidates in this year’s mayoral, city council and school committee elections.
Endorsing candidates is a newspaper tradition—but one that, we believe, compromises objectivity and independence.
Continue reading ‘NorthamptonMedia Endorses….’ »
The Real News
by Mary Serreze | Oct 31, 2009 8:49 pm | Comments (0)
Here’s the real back-room deal. The intrepid, cool, and quiet folks at NCTV setting up in the kitchen of the JFK Middle School to produce televised coverage of the recent Daily Hampshire Gazette mayoral debate. NCTV? Send them money.
On Progressive Leadership
by Guest Columnist | Oct 30, 2009 8:28 pm | Comments (1)
This year’s mayoral race in Northampton has prompted many comparisons between Higgins and Bardsley, from “analytical driver” vs. “amiable expressive” styles to “truth-in-advertising” vs. “mythic-image” approaches and even “leader” vs. “social participant.” This leads to speculation about which of the two “progressives” will be better at solving the City’s problems. And the assumption seems to be that City Hall is the power that makes all things happen, with the mayor as the fixer/savior. Northampton still seems to be invested in the old paradigm of leadership: “We’ve elected you, now it’s your job to take care of us.” It shows how far there is to go in envisioning true democracy.
Continue reading ‘On Progressive Leadership’ »
WWLP Ch22 Lincoln-Douglas Debate
by Mary Serreze | Oct 30, 2009 3:30 pm | Comments (0)
Can you stand any more? It will be over soon. Here’s video from the 13th mayoral debate, produced in the Channel 22 News TV studio. Lincoln-Douglas style. Part 2 below the fold.
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Two-Party System
by Mary Serreze | Oct 29, 2009 5:36 pm | Comments (0)
Last night Mayor (and mayoral candidate) Clare Higgins hosted a “pre-election thank you party” at her Main Street campaign headquarters. State Representative Peter Kocot was in attendance to express support, as were dozens of Higgins stalwarts. Food, drink, and music were in evidence.
Across the street, positioned for visibility, the Bardsley camp were holding their own party, waving a field of signs and bopping to loud pop music emanating from a nearby step van. A traveling band was passing through town, had parked in front of Pulaski Park, and was auditioning drummers to a karaoke track.
No tea was in evidence at either event.
Continue reading ‘Two-Party System’ »
Patrick Endorsement: True or False?
by Mary Serreze | Oct 29, 2009 12:11 pm | Comments (0)
On October 24th, a Daily Hampshire Gazette headline — “Campaign Notebook—Patrick endorses Higgins” — seemed to contradict Governor Deval Patrick’s actual words recorded when he visited the city’s Jackson Street School last week, as heard in mp3 format on Mayor Clare Higgins’ reelection website, www.clareformayor.com.
(See Gazette ‘clarification,’ issued this morning)
Continue reading ‘Patrick Endorsement: True or False?’ »
ABC40 Mayoral Debate
by Mary Serreze | Oct 28, 2009 12:58 pm | Comments (0)
This one’s really interesting—Dave Madsen pretty much sits back, and lets these two have at each other. Video Courtesy of ABC40.
Candidates: Would You Close a School?
by Mary Serreze | Oct 27, 2009 3:51 pm | Comments (0)
Daily Hampshire Gazette staff editor Stan Moulton, at last night’s debate, pushed both mayoral candidates—incumbent Mayor Clare Higgins and City Councilor Michael Bardsley—to reveal the circumstances under which they would support a school closure. Bardsley has made a campaign pledge not to close any one of the city’s four elementary schools.
“Why do you feel comfortable making this pledge,” Moulton asked Bardsley, “without having a crystal ball to accurately predict the state of the city’s budget over the next couple of years, particularly in the face of likely increasing cuts in local aid from the the state? Under what circumstances—for example the massive layoff of teachers—would you reconsider this pledge?”
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Reporter Dan Crowley to Candidates: Landfill?
by Mary Serreze | Oct 27, 2009 10:04 am | Comments (0)
Last night’s mayoral debate, sponsored by the Daily Hampshire Gazette and moderated by Gazette Editor-in-Chief Larry Parnass, featured three panelists from the paper’s newsroom: editors Laurie Loisel and Stan Moulton and investigative reporter Dan Crowley. Crowley took the opportunity to ask candidates Michael Bardsley and Clare Higgins a three-pronged question about the city’s landfill controversy.
Continue reading ‘Reporter Dan Crowley to Candidates: Landfill?’ »
Tonight: Ward Six Candidates Forum
by Mary Serreze | Oct 27, 2009 9:44 am | Comments (0)
Expect lots of questions about the city’s landfill at tonight’s candidates’ forum at the Ryan Road Elementary School. It will be a long night, starting at 6:00 pm and ending at 9:30. Bring a snack and a pillow?
6:00 School Committee-at-Large Candidates; Moderator Michael Holroyde
7:00 City Councilor-at-Large Candidates; Moderator Fran Volkmann
8:00-9:30 Mayoral Candidates; Moderator Fran Volkmann
This forum is sponsored by Ward Six City Councilor Marianne Labarge, the Ward Six Association, and Water not Waste, a citizens’ group that opposes any expansion of the City’s municipal landfill.