AGAWAM – Mayor-elect William Sapelli said his resounding victory over James Cichetti signaled a clear message sent by the residents of Agawam.

“Obviously it means the people liked the message they heard and they’re looking for people to look together for the betterment of Agawam – people who don’t have an agenda other than to make Agawam better and make decisions for the right reasons that are in the best interest of the community,” he said.

Sapelli, who retired as the superintendent of Agawam Public Schools at the end of last school year after 40 years in the district, took nearly 70 percent of the vote to defeat Cichetti, the City Council president, in a race for the seat vacated by Richard Cohen, who announced his 18th year would be his last. Cohen unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the City Council in this election.

Sapelli said during his campaign he was most impressed with the high level of understanding and education Agawam residents had about their community and their willingness to express their opinion.

“I went door-to-door quite a bit and I talked to a lot of people and we had a lot of events and when people came up to me, they knew a lot about the issues. It was interesting to hear them talk in detail about some of the issues in town,” he said. “It wasn’t an outrageous wish list. It was basic things a community should have and should want. I was very impressed with their knowledge and they weren’t selfish individuals. They weren’t looking for things just for them or for their neighborhood; they were looking for things for not only them, but for the town in general.”

Cichetti, who briefly appeared at Sapelli’s election celebration to congratulate the mayor-elect, said he was proud of the work his campaign and its volunteers put together.

“We tried to get a message out that had a lot of transparency, a lot of accountability and a lot of communication,” he said. “We worked our tails off and left it all on the table and it is what it is.”

Sapelli said he plans to hit the ground running in order to ensure a smooth transition to an office that had not had a new inhabitant in nearly two decades.

“I’m going to sit down with our present mayor and work closely with him. I’m going to be meeting with department heads quite often and see what their needs and wants are. I’m going to get right into the budget process. I think all of those things are important,” he said.

Cichetti said it was too soon to say whether or not he would make another run at public office, but would still be visible and involved in issues that impact the town.

“I’m not going away. I’m still going to be involved,” he said. “A lot of my friends are on the council and School Committee members are friends of mine. Hopefully Bill is going to bring some changes and do some good things and I’ll be here to help anyone who needs it.”

Sapelli will work with a City Council that is undergoing a bit of a makeover itself.

Former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin won a seat while former City Councilor Robert Magovern returns to the council after failing in his bid in 2015. Newcomer Dino Mercadante, a small business owner, was the third challenger to obtain a seat.

Incumbents Donald Rheault and Richard Theroux failed in their bids for re-election.

Cecilia Calabrese, Robert Rossi, George Bitzas, Paul Cavallo, Christopher Johnson, Gina Letellier, Anthony Suffriti and Joseph Mineo retained their seats.

For School Committee, challengers Kerri O’Connor and Tracy Wilkie joined incumbents Shelly Borgatti-Reed, Anthony Bonavita, Carmino Mineo and Wendy Rua as winners. Incumbent Brian Burbank was unseated and challenger Albert Christopher failed in his election bid.