Last week, I lamented the lack of political endorsements by some of my favorite local bloggers.
But patience pays off. First up: Tom Devine’s post-election analysis, at his Pioneer Valleyist blog.
Devine calls the shocking defeat of the casino proposal in Palmer “bad news for Springfield, which as the only contender left standing now wins the booby prize of having the casino hassles put in their city,” and laments School Committee member Antonette Pepe’s defeat (which he chalks up to the “incomprehensible stupidity by the electorate”).
Overall, the City Council candidates (both successful and not) don’t fare well in Devine’s estimation: he calls the defeat of President Jimmy Ferrera (“a likeable goof whom in the past voters found hard to hold in the contempt he deserved”) “long overdue”; says that neither Tommy Ashe nor Bud Williams deserved re-election (although their colleagues Tim Rooke and Kateri Walsh did); finds it “pathetic” that newcomer Justin Hurst won the most votes; and describes the defeat of Ward 8’s John Lysak as nothing to cry about—although his replacement, Orlando Ramos, “is no prize,” Devine adds.
“The best newcomer in the field, Salvatore Circosta, was sadly defeated,” Devine adds.
Devine also offers his take on other races, across the nation and the Valley, cheering, for instance, Don Humason’s victory in his state Senate race and offering qualified praise for Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse for his victory over challenger Jeff Stanek: “Actually, Holyoke could probably use a hardnosed businessman as Mayor, but something there is about the endearingly geeky Morse that makes you want to hope for his success.”
Over at the Springfield Intruder, meanwhile, Bill Dusty offers his post-election ruminations. Like Devine, Dusty is sorry was sorry to see Pepe defeated (“[S]o much for honesty in government.”); unlike Devine, he’s also sorry to see Lysak lose his seat (“Thank you Ward 8 voters for returning Springfield to single party rule. You have single-handedly ensured that cronyism and insider politics will remain alive and well in the city.”).
Dusty also has kind words for Circosta but is happy that Melvin Edwards held on to the Ward 3 seat. And he has some not-so-kind words for Ferrera: “Remarkably, the numbers finally fell on the side of common sense and, well, brains, as City Councilor Jimmy Ferrera—who, mind-numbingly, kept getting re-elected to office over and over again—was finally shown the door. Jesus Mother of God. How much longer could that have gone on?”
Last but not least, Matt Szafranski of Western Mass Politics & Insight offers several posts on the theme, starting with this day-after summary of election results from around the region. (Surely this can’t be all Szafranski will have to say about the ouster of Ferrera?)
Szafranski writes here about the issue of diversity on the City Council, which now has more African-American and Latino members than ever before. (One point I’d like to see mentioned in the various articles on this subject: the continuing lack of gender diversity on the Council, where women hold just two of the 13 seats.) And here, he looks outside Springfield, with his thoughts on the Republican Humason’s victory and the failure of local (and statewide) Democrats to elect David Bartley to the state Senate seat.
