Mayoral elections in Springfield, Massachusetts

Democratic Primary

Republican Primary

General Election

Democratic primary

Incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. More than 7,000 voters cast votes in the non-competitive Democratic primary.^[7]

Republican primary

In the Republican primary, Wendell P. Chamberlain (a Massachusetts state representative) defeated four candidates for the nomination. His competitors were ward 1 alderman Normand J. Beaudry, assessor Vernon E. Bradley (who had previously been the Republican nominee for mayor in 1951), ward 4 alderman and Springfield Board of Alderman president Henry Clay, and former school board member Theodore Wiel.^[7]

General election

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Daniel B. Brunton faced Hampden County registrar of deeds John P. Lynch and Springfield superintendent of streets James J. Sullivan.^[8]

Republican primary

In the Republican primary, businessman and Springfield Fire Commission member Leon H. Hutchins defeated Board of Assessors member William G. Macauley.^[8][9][10]

General election

Brunton defeated Hutchins.

Democratic primary

Incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton lost renomination to Massachusetts state representative Thomas J. O'Connor in a landslide, losing in all of the city's 68 voting precincts.^[11]

When Brunton first announced his campaign against the longtime mayor, his odds of succeeding were seen as slim.^[11]

Significant issues debated in the primary included the city's police commission, off-street parking, and businesses leaving the city's downtown.^[12]

Republican primary

General election

Democratic primary

In a rematch of the 1957 Democratic primary, incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor was challenged by former mayor Daniel B. Brunton. O'Connor handily defeated O'Connor, leading him in all 66 of the city's 68 voting precincts.^[16]

Results

Results by ward^[16]

Republican primary

Paul E. Affleck, the city councilman from the city's 5th ward, won the Republican primary unopposed.^[16]

General election

Running as an independent candidate was Daniel B. Brunton, who had failed to win the Democratic primary.^[17]

Candidates

• Norman E. Cowles
• Arbold R. Craven
• Thomas J. O'Connor, incumbent mayor since 1958
• Charles Ryan, lawyer^[18]
• Bernard M. Lapointe
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952,^[19] and 1955 mayoral candidate
• Arthur J. McKenna
• Armand N. Tancrati, Massachusetts state representative^[20]
• Raymond N. Tuller Jr.

Campaign

The 1960 reassessment of all real estate in Springfield led to a furor when one-third of the city's homeowners received increases in their property tax over the previous year.^[21] On October 11, 1960, 4,500 residents attended a meeting at Springfield Auditorium where members of the Board of Assessors attempted to explain the tax increase. Each member was booed off the stage before they could speak. O'Connor, who had no role in the property reassessment, failed to quiet the crowd and police were called in.^[22] O'Connor planned to cut 578 jobs from the 1961 budget to reduce the city's taxes, but reversed this decision due to a lack of public support.^[23]

O'Connor's general election defeat was considered an upset.^[18]

Two weeks after O'Connor's loss, the city's percentage assessment system, which had been a major issue during the campaign, was declared unconstitutional by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.^[24]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Arthur R. Caney
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952;^[25][19] 1955 and 1961 mayoral candidate
• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor

Campaign

Incumbent mayor Charles Ryan and registrar of deeds John P. Lynch were considered the two major contenders. A third candidate in the primary, Arthur R. Caney, was regarded as a political unknown.^[26] Ryan and Lynch were the two who advanced to the general election.^[26]

Both Lynch and Ryan identified as Democrats.^[27] Ryan's campaign was managed by his brother, Donald Ryan.^[27]

The campaign turned tense when, eight days before the general election, Lynch accused Ryan of being an advocate of busing, bringing a racially-charged issue into the mix.^[27] The day before the election, in a television appearance, Ryan alleged that bussing had already started, and that Ryan had approved it.^[27] On the day of the election, the Springfield Union ran two full-paged advertisements which showed black children departing school buses at Memorial School in the fashionable, and largely white, East Forest Park neighborhood. The ads, again claimed that Ryan had begun busing in the city.^[27] Ryan responded by making a series of radio appearances on Election Day. In one he claimed that the photos actually were showing black children that had been transported to the school, not for the sake of racial integration, but due to overcrowding at schools in parts of the cities that were predominantly black.^[27] He also came out against using bussing to resolve de facto segregation.^[27]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Charles E. Cobb, reverend at St. John's Congregational Church^[28][29]
• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative and Springfield city councilor
• Rojer J. Lemelin, former Springfield assessor^[28]
• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor
• Frances L. Shea, independent advertising agent^[29]

Campaign

In the general election Ryan faced state representative and Springfield city councilor James Grimaldi. He faced several additional candidates in the primary.^[29] In the primary, Charles E. Cobb was the first black candidate to run for mayor in the city's history.^[29] Frances L. Shea was among the earliest women to run for Springfield's mayoralty.^[29]

A major issue in the campaign was how to resolve inequality in the quality of the schools buildings serving the city's largely non-white neighborhoods compared those serving its largely-white neighborhoods.^[28][29] Mayor Ryan proposed limited open enrollment, and hoped for the state to pay for the expense of busing. He felt that black groups had failed to assist in making open enrollment successful in the city. Grimaldi hoped to resolve these inequalities by replacing the city's older school buildings, many of which were located in largely black neighborhoods.^[29] Rojer J. Lemelin pledged to follow state's racial imbalance law.^[29] Charles E. Cobb argued that students at Buckingham Junior High School (a 63.2% non-white school) were 2.5 years behind students at junior high schools with predominantly white student bodies. He argued against open enrollment, saying that it asked, "the very people least able to pay" to personally finance their children's transportation.^[29] Frances L. Shea promised to follow the state's racial imbalance law, but argued that, "all laws are flexible and we should make them fit our situation".^[29]

Other major issues included taxes, the proposed closure of the Springfield Armory, and allegations of police brutality in the city.^[28]

Candidates

• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965 and 1967 mayoral candidate
• Frank Harlan Freedman, Springfield city councilor and assistant attorney general

Campaign

While the election was officially nonpartisan, Freeman was a Republican and Grimaldi was a Democrat.^[33][32] Freedman became the city's first Jewish mayor. If elected, Grimaldi would have been its first Italian mayor.^[32]

Candidates

• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965 and 1967 mayoral candidate
• Frank Harlan Freedman, incumbent mayor since 1968
• Frederick Hurst
• William J. Kingston, parks commissioner and former Minor League Baseball player^[34][35]

Campaign

Democratic state representative James Grimaldi was a late entrant into the race.^[35]

Frederick Hurst's performance in the primary was regarded to have been surprisingly poor. He was one of the earliest black candidates to run for mayor of Springfield.^[35]

Freedman's reelection in the general election was aided by popular approval of how he had recently handled a public transit strike and welfare-related protests.^[34]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Douglas Ariel, conservative activist, mail carrier^[36][37]
• Socrates Babacas, business owner^[38]
• Frank Harlan Freedman, incumbent mayor since 1968
• James L. Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965, 1967 and 1969 mayoral candidate
• Wallace Hindes

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Paul Mason, Springfield city councilor^[41]
• William C. Sullivan, Springfield city clerk^[41]

Results

Candidates

• Arnold B. Craven, 1961 mayoral candidate
• William C. Sullivan, incumbent mayor

Results

Candidates

• Stephen Desmond
• Wallace D. Hindes
• Peter Charles LeLuce
• William C. Sullivan, incumbent mayor

Campaign

Stephen Desmond was a first-time candidate for public office, and ran as a U.S. Labor Party-backed candidate.^[44][45]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Theodore E. Dimauro, Springfield City Council president,^[47] Springfield city councilor since 1970,^[19] member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council since 1975,^[47][48] former acting mayor (1972–1973), and former Springfield School Committee member^[19]
• Winston Gaskins
• James L. Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965, 1967, 1969 and 1971 mayoral candidate
• Wallace Hindes (write-in)
• William Kelly
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952,^[19] 1972 United States Senate candidate;^[19] 1955, 1961 and 1963 mayoral candidate
• John D. McCarthy

Campaign

Theodore E. Dimauro campaigned on revitalizing the city's downtown, and talked about pursuing further public-private partnerships to accomplish this.^[47]

James L. Grimaldi, an experienced elected official (with 12 years experience on the Springfield City Council and 13 years experience in the Massachusetts House of Representatives) had long aspired to be Springfield's mayor, having run four times previously.^[47] By 1977, Grimaldi was 66 years of age, and likely saw the election as his last chance to win the city's mayoralty.^[47] He campaigned hard against Dimauro, accusing him of being a puppet for big business, of valuing the city's downtown at the expense of the remainder of the city, and criticizing him for his vote as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council to confirm a black woman to be an associate justice of the Boston Municipal Court.^[47]

With both Dimauro and Grimaldi being Italian-Americans, the general election matchup guaranteed that the city would elect its first mayor of Italian descent.^[47]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Theodore E. Dimauro, incumbent mayor since 1978
• Winston Gaskins, 1979 mayoral candidate
• Wallace D Hindes

Results

Primary

General election

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981 mayoral candidate
• William G. Montana
• Richard Neal, Springfield city councilor since 1979

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981 and 1983 mayoral candidate
• Richard Neal, incumbent mayor since 1983

Results

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981, 1983, and 1985 mayoral candidate
• Richard Neal, incumbent mayor since 1983

Results

Candidates

• Vincent DiMonaco, acting mayor and Springfield city councilor since 1972^[60]
• Joseph Harrington, 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987 mayoral candidate
• Mary Hurley, Springfield city councilor since 1980^[60][61]

Campaign

In his brief period as acting mayor, DiMonaco had taken a tough stance on drugs, and expressed criticism of what he deemed to be "insufficient" financial support coming from the state and federal governments. He also, with 18 years experience on the City Council and prior experience on the Springfield School Committee, made an effort to portray himself as the more experienced candidate^[61]

Hurley accused DiMonaco of "flip-flopping" on various issues, such as whether the National Guard should be used to fight against illegal drugs in the city, which he had previously advocated for, but since walked back his support for.^[61]

DiMonaco accused Hurley of receiving the back of a Richard Neal-led political machine. Neal, however, remained publicly neutral in the election, and questioned DiMonaco's assertion that a political machine existed in the city.^[62]

Hurley raised $240,000 for her campaign, almost five times as much as DiMonaco managed to raise for his.^[60] This fundraising advantage enabled her to run a last-minute battery of television advertisements.^[60]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Leroy Crenshaw, junior high school teacher^[68]
• Ray DiPasquale, Springfield city councilor since 1991 and former Springfield School Council member^[68]
• Paul Kalill, former Springfield city councilor (1974–1980)^[68][69]
• Robert Markel, Springfield city councilor^[65]
• William Montana, draftsman and 1983 mayoral candidate^[68]
• Benjamin Swan, black community activist; management and education consultant^[68]

Campaign

A major issue of the campaign ahead of the primary election was the problem of "white flight" to the city's suburbs.^[66]

The frontrunners ahead of the primary election were broadly considered to be Ray DiPasquale, Robert Markel, and Paul Kalill.^[68]

As a candidate, Markel advocated for increasing the amount of fees for city services and increasing the enforcement of city codes.^[68] Kalill called for a "clean sweep" of politicians in city government.^[68]

Benjamin Swan was a first-time candidate for elected office.^[68]

William Montana advocated for a curfew for minors, as well as a revival of school prayer and corporal punishment.^[68]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Robert Markel, incumbent mayor since 1992^[72]
• Kateri Walsh, Springfield city councilor^[72]
• Benjamin Swan, president of the Springfield NAACP and 1991 mayoral candidate^[72]

Campaign

Merkel took credit for restoring services previously cut in past budgets.^[73] Walsh argued that Markel had been neglecting towards public safety.^[73] Swan said that safety, education, and employment were the top issues in the city.^[73]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Michael Albano, Springfield City Council president
• Chelan "Jenkins" Brown^[75]
• Frederick Hurst, 1969 mayoral candidate
• Robert Markel, incumbent mayor since 1992^[75]
• Charles V. Ryan, former mayor (1962–1968)

Campaign

Expected to be a central issue to voters in the general election was whether Springfield would receive a casino or not. A year prior, voters had rejected a referendum to allow casinos in the city. However, a new nonbonding ballot initiative was up for a vote coinciding with the mayoral general election, which, if approved, would show citizen approval for building a casino in the city's downtown. Albano supported passing the initiative, while Ryan opposed it.^[76][77] The issue dominated the campaign.^[77][78] In the end, however, despite the voters voting against the ballot initiative, Albano (who had supported it) beat Ryan (who had opposed it).^[79]

Ahead of the general election, Springfield Newspapers, the publisher of The Springfield Union News & Sunday Republican, backed both the casino ballot initiative and Albano's candidacy.^[77]

Results

Primary

General election

Results

Results

Candidates

• Michael Albano, incumbent mayor since 1996
• Paul Caron, Massachusetts state representative since 1993^[83][84]
• Nicole Jones

Results

Primary election

General election

Candidates

• Lynda J. Melconian, former majority leader of the Massachusetts Senate
• Charles Ryan, former mayor (1962–1968)

Results

Candidates

• Tom Ashe, member of the Springfield School Committee since 2000 and former member of the Springfield License Commission (1998–1999)^[89][90]
• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor^[90]

Results

Candidates

• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor
• Domenic Sarno, at-large member of the Springfield City Council since 1999^[94]

Finances

Results

Candidates

• Domenic Sarno, incumbent mayor since 2010
• Bud Williams, former Springfield city councilor (1993–2008)^[98][99]

Results

Candidates

• Antonette E. Pepe, Springfield School Committee member^[75]
• Domenic Sarno, incumbent mayor
• Jose F. Tosado, Springfield City Council president^[75]

Campaign

Both Tosado and Pepe were considered to be high-profile and politically experienced challengers to Sarno.^[75] Nevertheless, Sarno heavily led both in the primary, and handily defeated Tosado in the general election.

Results

Primary
Turnout in the primary, at 14.64%, was historically low.^[102]

General election

Candidates

• Salvatore S. Circosta, member of Springfield Community Policing Board, business manager of a Catholic church, former business owner, former seminarian, former military chaplain, candidate for Springfield City Council in 2013^{[105][106][107]}
• Invelisse Gonzalez
• Michael Jones
• Johnnie Ray McKnight, former teacher^[106]
• Domenic J. Sarno, incumbent mayor since 2008
• Beverly L. Savage, candidate for mayor of New Haven, Connecticut in 1995^[108]

Campaign

Salvatore S. Circosta was politically conservative, closely tying his candidacy with his Catholicism.^[105] Early into his candidacy, Circosta publicly disclosed that he was a gay man.^[105] Circosta described himself as conservative on issues such as abortion rights and financial matters, but "progressive" on some issues such as gay rights.^[105]

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• Yolanda Cancel, community organizer and candidate for Springfield City Council in 2007^[112]
• Jeffrey Donnelly, perennial candidate^[112]
• Linda Matys O'Connell, activist, League of Women Voters official, former journalist^[112]
• Domenic Sarno, incumbent mayor since 2008

Results

Primary

General election

Candidates

• David Ciampi, psychotherapist
• Justin Hurst, Springfield city councilor
• Jesse Lederman, Springfield City Council president
• Orlando Ramos, Massachusetts State Representative
• Domenic Sarno, incumbent Springfield mayor^[115]

Campaign

Nik DeCosta-Klipa of WBUR described Domenic Sarno as a relative "old-school, centrist Democrat" and his opponents as challenging him from the political left. He also described this as the largest field of prominent challengers that Sarno has faced for mayor.^[115]

Finances

Results

Primary

General election