By Paul Tuthill
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Springfield, MA – It is election day in more than 50 municipalities in Massachusetts. Elections for mayor highlight ballots up and down the Pioneer Valley, as we hear from WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief, Paul Tuthill.
Voters in Springfield will elect the city's first mayor to serve a four year term. Incumbent Domenic Sarno has served a pair of two year terms.
His challenger, Jose Tosado, if elected , would be the first Latino mayor in Springfield's history.
Campaigning on election day in his old North End neighborhood, Tosado greeted Maria Rivera, who said electing Springfield's first Latino mayor would be a big deal.
Outside a polling place in Hungry Hill, Nancy LeFebfre talked about why she's supporting Sarno.
In a polite campaign Tosado, who has spent ten years on the Springfield City Council has said that under Sarno , Springfield has not moved forward and remains plagued by high crime , poor schools, and a lack of good jobs.
But it has been a strange campaign season. After Springfield was devastated by the June First tornadoes, Tosado suspended his campaign for a month. Last week, after the city was socked by a freak snowstorm that caused widespread and prolonged power outages, Sarno put his campaign on hold, withdrawing from the final debates.
Tosado, jokes that there was a third candidate Mother Nature..and she's winning.
Sarno defended his decision to suspend his campaign in the final week before today's election.
Holyoke has seen a spirited campaign for mayor between one term incumbent Elaine Pluta, who is the first woman to serve as Holyoke's mayor and Alex Morse, a 22 year old who has never held elected office.
In Northampton, voters will elect the city's first new mayor in a dozen years. Mary Clare Higgins resigned in September, leaving city council president David Narkewicz as acting mayor. He's running against another former city council president Michael Bardsley.
West Springfield will also have a new mayor..either Gerard Matthews or Gregory Neffinger.
And voters will settle mayoral contests in Agawam, Chicopee and Easthampton.
Reporting from Springfield, I'm Paul Tuthill, WAMC News.