Northampton elections

Voters in parts of the Pioneer Valley are once again casting ballots. Polls are open for preliminary elections in Chicopee and Holyoke, with the most crowded contests in Northampton, including the race for mayor.

For two nights in late-August, the BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence was filled with Northampton residents and a slew of candidates.Organized by the League of Women Voters and broadcast by Northampton Open Media, the forums saw locals vying for city council seats and the mayor’s office answer questions on budgets, school funding and city projects. Alexander MacDougall, who has reported on the sheer size of the council candidate pool over the past few months, was on the panel asking questions.

In three weeks, voters in Northampton, Mass. will vote to pare down who will be on the ballot this November, including a crowded mayoral race. Ahead of time, candidates will take part in a forum Tuesday night to talk city issues and how to tackle them.

A committee has recommended several changes to the city charter in Northampton, Massachusetts that if adopted would dramatically impact who is eligible to…