Races for Agawam mayor, council, school board Nov. 2

Oct. 27, 2021 | Michael Ballway
mballway@thereminder.com

Voters cast their ballots at Agawam Junior High School during the 2019 town election in Agawam.
Reminder Publishing file photo

AGAWAM — Town Clerk Vincent Gioscia said he expects about 25 percent of registered voters to participate in this year’s municipal election on Nov. 2.

Agawam and Feeding Hills residents will go to the polls to elect a mayor, an 11-member City Council and a six-member School Committee, all for two-year terms to commence in January 2022.

The race between Mayor William Sapelli and challenger Charles Alvanos is the first time an incumbent Agawam mayor has faced an opponent on the ballot since 2011, and if Gioscia’s turnout prediction is accurate, it will be the lowest-turnout mayoral contest in more than a decade. Sapelli was first elected in 2017, an election with 37 percent turnout. That election pitted a former superintendent of schools, Sapelli, against the sitting City Council president, James Cichetti, for the open seat left by the retiring Richard Cohen. Sapelli was re-elected with no opponent in 2019.

Cohen had also been re-elected with no challengers on the ballot in 2015 and 2013, after going two-for-three in consecutive elections with relatively high turnout a decade ago: 45 percent turnout in 2011, 56 percent turnout in 2009, 48 percent turnout in 2007.

Unlike the presidential election last year, Agawam voters will get just one chance to vote in person this year, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day only. The town decided not to offer in-person early voting for the municipal ballot. Mail-in ballots were offered, though the deadline was Oct. 27. Absentee voting is available, but only for voters who have a medical, religious or travel-related reason they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day.

The candidates, in the order in which they will appear on the ballot, are:

Mayor: Charles Alvanos of Anvil Street; William P. Sapelli of Edgewater Road, incumbent. The mayor serves a two-year term.

City Council: Anthony J. Russo of Corey Street; Mario Tedeschi Jr. of Juniper Ridge Drive, incumbent; Peter McNair of Richardson Place; Rosemary Sandlin of Granger Drive, incumbent; Thomas David Hendrickson of Clover Hill Drive; Gerald F. Smith of Southwick Street, incumbent; Christopher C. Johnson of Morningside Circle, incumbent; Paul C. Cavallo of Castle Hill Road, incumbent; Dino R. Mercadante of North Westfield Street, incumbent; Anthony R. Suffriti of Belvidere Avenue, incumbent; Robert E. Rossi of Colemore Street, incumbent; George Bitzas of Fernwood Drive, incumbent; Gina M. Letellier of Reed Street, incumbent; and Cecilia Calabrese of Wagon Wheel Drive, incumbent. Eleven seats are available, with two-year terms. All 11 incumbents are running for re-election.

School Committee: Stephen C. Davis of Mallard Circle; Robert Lawler of Beekman Place; Wendy T. Rua of North Westfield Street, incumbent; Michael Donald Perry of Hunting Lane; Shelley M. Borgatti-Reed of Shelley Lane, incumbent; Dawn M. Dube of Jessica Place, incumbent; Kerri A. O’Connor of Woodside Drive, incumbent; A.J. Christopher of Poplar Street; Edward R. Champigny of Liberty Street; and Catherine McDougal of Vadnais Street. Six seats are available, with two-year terms. At least two newcomers will be elected to the school board, as incumbents Anthony C. Bonavita and Carmino Mineo are not running for re-election.

Ballot order was determined by lottery on Oct. 8, Gioscia said.

As all seats are town-wide positions, the ballots are identical in each of Agawam’s eight precincts. Polling places are the same as in recent years:

Precinct 1: Robinson Park School, 65 Begley St., Agawam
Precinct 2: Clifford Granger School, 31 S. Westfield St., Feeding Hills
Precinct 3: Agawam High School, 760 Cooper St., Agawam
Precinct 4: Roberta Doering School, 68 Main St., Agawam
Precinct 5: Benjamin Phelps School, 689 Main St., Agawam
Precincts 6 and 8: James Clark School, 65 Oxford St., Agawam
Precinct 7: Agawam Junior High School, 1305 Springfield St., Feeding Hills

Residents may check their voter status and find their assigned polling place at www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch.

The mayoral and council candidates were profiled in The Reminder earlier this month, and the School Committee candidates are featured in this week’s edition. The articles can also be found at www.thereminder.com/localnews/agawam.

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