A special election to fill the 1st Berkshire District seat in the Massachusetts House has been set for November 7th.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives adopted an order on Monday setting the election to replace 1st Berkshire District Representative Gailanne Cariddi – who died June 17th from breast cancer at 63. The primary will be October 10th.
Voters in the district’s largest city, North Adams, will already be going to the polls to pick a new mayor that day – which Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts political scientist Samantha Pettey says could affect turnout.
“Actually, it’s probably better for turnout to have the election on the regular Election Day in North Adams anyway since special elections generally have a lower turnout in general because there is not usually anything going on,” Pettey says.
Pettey says holding the special election on the same day will save the city roughly $6,000.
She says it could also affect who might run for an elected position – especially with a mayoral race happening at the same time.
North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright announced in May he is not seeking a fifth term. Tom Bernard, the Director of Special Projects at Smith College in Northampton, is the only candidate in running to replace Alcombright so far.
“I mean it is certainly a possibility that people see the incentives to move up in the political system,” Pettey says.
Williams College political scientist Jim Mahon expects candidates to emerge soon.
“It’s going to be competitive one way or the other. I think both are going to be competitive, and the reason for that is we have an awful lot of time for people to pull out papers,” Mahon says.
Nominations require 150 certified signatures. The deadline for nomination papers is August 29th locally, and they must be certified by the state by Sept 5th.
State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a Democrat from Pittsfield, says candidates will likely start filing their papers soon, but as far as who is running…
“If I was looking to talk to get to ask someone from the North Adams City Committee, I would talk to Gail,” Farley-Bouvier says, “so that is not very helpful, is it?”
County Republicans will be looking at the race over next few weeks, telling WAMC they will likely wait until after a potential primary to back a candidate.
Democrats have an enrollment edge across Berkshire County, but Republicans have been sent to Beacon Hill in the past.
Pettey says it could go either way. Mahon agrees, but Western Massachusetts “votes reliably Democratic.”
As for Mayor Alcombright, he gave WAMC a Sherman statement.
“As of the end of December, folks will never see my name on a ballot again,” Alcombright says.
Former North Adams Mayor John Barrett tells WAMC News he is eager to see who will run for mayor and for the state legislature, and that he is keeping his options open.
