Elections are currently held every four years to elect the mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Before 1961, mayoral elections were partisan. Starting in 1961, they have been nonpartisan.
Terms had, originally, been for a length of a single year,[1] but were later extended to two years. Starting with the 2011 mayoral election, terms were extended further to four years.
The 1953 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1953. It saw incumbent mayor reelected to a fifth term.
The primaries marked the first instance in which the city of Springfield used voting machines in all of its precincts.[3] Turnout for the primaries was over 20%.[3]
Democratic primary[]
Incumbent mayor ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. More than 7,000 voters cast votes in the non-competitive Democratic primary.[3]
Republican primary[]
In the Republican primary, 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.[3]
1953 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral Republican primary results[3] October 6, 1953
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
3,700
35.50
Republican
Thedore Wiel
2,913
27.95
Republican
Vernon E. Bradley
1,987
19.06
Republican
Normand J. Beaudry
1,279
12.27
Republican
Henry Clay
545
5.23
Total votes
10,424
100
General election[]
1953 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[2] November 3, 1953
The 1955 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 1955. It saw incumbent mayor reelected to a sixth term.
Democratic primary[]
In the Democratic primary, incumbent faced Hampden County registrar of deeds John P. Lynch and Springfield superintendent of streets James J. Sullivan.[4]
1955 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral Democratic primary results[5] October 11, 1955
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
(incumbent)
9,318
49.13
Democratic
John P. Lynch
4,938
26.04
Democratic
James J. Sullivan
4,711
24.84
Total votes
18,967
100
Republican primary[]
In the Republican primary, businessman and Springfield Fire Commission member Leon H. Hutchins defeated Board of Assessors member William G. Macauley.[4][5][6]
1955 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral Republican primary results[5] October 11, 1955
The 1957 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 1957. It saw incumbent mayor unseated, losing renomination in the Democratic primary to Thomas J. O'Connor, who went on to win the general election.
O'Connor became the youngest mayor in the city's history.[7]
Democratic primary[]
Incumbent mayor lost renomination to Massachusetts state representativeThomas J. O'Connor in a landslide, losing in all of the city's 68 voting precincts.[7]
When Brunton first announced his campaign against the longtime mayor, his odds of succeeding were seen as slim.[7]
Significant issues debated in the primary included the city's police commission, off-street parking, and businesses leaving the city's downtown.[8]
1957 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral Democratic primary results[8] October 8, 1957
The 1959 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1959. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor.
This was Springfield's final partisan mayoral election, as voters also voted to approve a move to nonpartisan elections.[10][11] The measure that did so also switched from a weak mayor form of government to a strong mayor form.[11]
Democratic primary[]
In a rematch of the 1957 Democratic primary, incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor was challenged by former mayor . O'Connor handily defeated O'Connor, leading him in all 66 of the city's 68 voting precincts.[12]
Results
1959 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral Democratic primary results[12] October 6, 1959
The 1961 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1961, and was preceded by a primary on October 10. It saw Charles Ryan defeat incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor. It was the city's first nonpartisan mayoral election
The 1960 reassessment of all of real estate in Springfield led to a furor when 1/3 of the Springfield's homeowners saw increases over their 1959 tax.[17] 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 and O'Connor, who had no role in the property reassessment, failed to quiet the crowd and police were called in.[18] O'Connor planned to cut 578 jobs from the 1961 budget to reduce the city's taxes, however he reversed this decision due to a lack of public support.[19]
O'Connor's general election defeat was considered an upset.[14]
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.[20]
Results[]
Primary
1961 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary results[16] October 10, 1961
The 1963 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1963, and was preceded by a primary on October 8. It saw incumbent mayor Charles Ryan reelected.
This was the city's first nonpartisan mayoral election
Candidates[]
Arthur R. Caney
John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952;[21][15] 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.[22] As widely predicted,[22] both Ryan and Lynch were the two who advanced to the general election.
Ryan's campaign was managed by his brother, Donald Ryan.[23]
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.[23] The day before the election, in a television appearance, Ryan alleged that bussing had already started, and that Ryan had approved it.[23] 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.[23] 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.[23] He also came out against using bussing to resolve de facto segregation.[23]
Results[]
Primary
1963 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary results[21] October 8, 1963
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
nonpartisan
Charles Ryan (incumbent)
11,906
57
nonpartisan
John P. Lynch
7,284
nonpartisan
Arthur R. Caney
Total votes
100
General election
1963 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results.[23] November 6, 1963
The 1965 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1965, and was preceded by a primary on October 4. It saw the reelection of Charles Ryan to a third term.
The primary, held October 4, had been moved from its original date of October 5. Unusually, this made Election Day a Monday instead of a Tuesday. The change of date was made to avoid the election overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.[24]
Candidates[]
Charles E. Cobb, reverend at St. John's Congressional Church[24][25]
, Massachusetts state representative and Springfield city councilor
Frances L. Shea, independent advertising agent[25]
Campaign[]
In the general election Ryan faced state representative and Springfield city councilor . He faced several additional candidates in the primary.[25] In the primary, Charles E. Cobb was the first black candidate to run for mayor in the city's history.[25] Frances L. Shea was among the earliest women to run for Springfield's mayoralty.[25]
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.[24][25] 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.[25] Rojer J. Lemelin pledged to follow state's racial imbalance law.[25] 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.[25] 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".[25]
Other major issues included taxes, the proposed closure of the Springfield Armory, and allegations of police brutality in the city.[24]
The 1967 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1967. It saw the election of Frank Harlan Freedman.
Freedman, a Springfield city councilor and assistant attorney general for western Massachusetts (on leave from the latter role during his campaign), defeated state representative .[26][27]
Incumbent mayor Charles Ryan did not seek reelection, instead opting to retire to accept a lecturing job at Springfield College.[26][28][29]
While the race was officially nonpartisan, Freeman was a Republican, while Grimaldi was a Democrat.[27][29]
Freedman became the city's first Jewish mayor. If elected, Grimaldi would have been its first Italian mayor.[29]
The 1969 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1969, and was preceded by a primary held on October 7, 1969. It saw the reelection of Frank Harlan Freedman.
Candidates[]
, 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[30][31]
Campaign[]
Democratic state representative James Grimaldi was a late entrant into the race.[31]
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.[31]
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.[30]
Results[]
Primary
1969 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[31] October 7, 1969
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
Frank H. Freedman (incumbent)
12,974
62.09
Nonpartisan
William J. Kingston
4,385
20.99
Nonpartisan
2,886
13.81
Nonpartisan
Frederick A. Hurst
651
3.12
Total votes
20,896
100
General election
1971 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[30] November 4, 1969
The 1971 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1971, and was preceded by a primary on October 5, 1971. It saw the reelection of Frank Harlan Freedman to a third term.
Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election, 1973
← 1971
November 2, 1971
1973 →
Candidate
Paul Mason
Party
nonpartisan
nonpartisan
Popular vote
13,738
2,790
Percentage
83.09%
16.87%
Mayor before election
(acting)
Elected Mayor
The 1973 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election was held on January 30, 1973, to fill the vacancy left after Frank Harlan Freedman resigned as mayor in October 1972 to accept an appointment as a U.S. district court judge.[37] The election saw the election of .
Paul Mason was only the third black candidate to run for mayor in the city's history. He openly regarded his candidacy as more an effort to build up a following to help him run more successfully for the office two years later.[37]
The 1973 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1973. It saw the reelection of incumbent (first elected earlier that year in a special election) to his first full term.
Because only two candidates ran, there was no need for a primary election.
Candidates[]
Arnold B. Craven, 1961 mayoral candidate
, incumbent mayor
Results[]
1971 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[39] November 6, 1973
The 1975 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1975, and was preceded by a primary on October 5, 1975. It saw the reelection of to a second full, and third overall, term.
Candidates[]
Stephen Desmond
Wallace D. Hindes
Peter Charles LeLuce
, incumbent mayor
Campaign[]
Stephen Desmond was a first-time candidate for public office, and ran as a U.S. Labor Party-backed candidate.[40][41]
Results[]
Primary
1975 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[40] October 5, 1975
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
nonpartisan
(incumbent)
9,270
86.44
nonpartisan
Stephen Desmond
661
6.16
nonpartisan
Wallace D. Hindes
457
4.26
nonpartisan
Peter Charles LeLuce
336
3.13
Turnout
10,724
20
General election
1975 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[41][42] November 4, 1975
The 1977 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 1977, and was preceded by a primary on October 11. It saw the election of . Incumbent mayor did not seek reelection.[15]
Candidates[]
, Springfield City Council president,[43] Springfield city councilor since 1970,[15] member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council since 1975,[43][44] former acting mayor (1972–1973), and former Springfield School Committee member[15]
Winston Gaskins
, 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,[15]1972 United States Senate candidate;[15] 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.[43]
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.[43] By 1977, Grimaldi was 66 years of age, and likely saw the election as his last chance to win the city's mayoralty.[43] 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.[43]
With both Dimauro and Grimaldi being Italian-Americans, the general election matchup guaranteed that the city would elect its first mayor of Italian descent.[43]
Results[]
Primary
1977 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[45][15] October 11, 1977
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
13,286
65.75
Nonpartisan
3,128
15.48
Nonpartisan
John Pierce Lynch
2,825
13.98
Nonpartisan
Winston J. Gaskins
470
2.33
Nonpartisan
John D. McCarthy
282
1.40
Nonpartisan
William J. Kelly
216
1.07
Write-in
Wallace Hindes
1
0.00
Total votes
20,208
100
General election
1977 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[46] November 8, 1971
The 1979 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1979, and was preceded by a primary on October 9, 1979. It saw the reelection of to a second term.
Candidates[]
, incumbent mayor since 1978
Winston Gaskins, 1979 mayoral candidate
Wallace D Hindes
Results[]
Primary
1979 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[47] October 9, 1979
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
(incumbent)
4,696
80.29
Nonpartisan
Winston S. Gaskins
782
13.37
Nonpartisan
Wallace D Hindes
371
6.34
Total votes
5,849
100
General election
1979 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[48] November 6, 1979
The 1981 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1981, and was preceded by a primary on October 6, 1981. It saw the reelection of to a third term.
Results[]
Primary
1981 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[49] October 6, 1981
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
(incumbent)
10,693
48.40
Nonpartisan
Peter J. Jurzynski
8,237
37.28
Nonpartisan
Timothy T. Collins
2,891
13.09
Nonpartisan
Joseph B. Flynn
210
0.95
Nonpartisan
Joseph D. Harrington
63
0.29
Total votes
22,094
100
General election
1981 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[50] November 3, 1981
The 1983 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1983, and was preceded by a primary on September 20, 1983. It saw the election of Richard Neal.
Facing a prospective challenge from city councilor Richard Neal, incumbent mayor opted to instead retire.[51]
Candidates[]
Joseph Harrington, 1981 mayoral candidate
William G. Montana
Richard Neal, Springfield city councilor since 1979
Results[]
Primary
1983 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[52] September 20, 1983
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
Richard E. Neal
11,315
85.58
Nonpartisan
William G. Montana
1,113
8.42
Nonpartisan
Joseph D. Harrington
793
6.00
Total votes
13,221
100
General election
1983 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[53] November 3, 1983
Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election, 1989
← 1987
April 25, 1989
1989 →
Candidate
Vincent DiMonaco
Party
nonpartisan
nonpartisan
Popular vote
16,636
7,536
Percentage
68.82%
31.18%
Mayor before election
Vincent DiMonaco (acting)
Elected Mayor
The 1989 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election was held on April 25, 1989, and was preceded by a primary on March 21, 1989. It was held to fill the vacancy left after mayor Richard Neal resigned to become a U.S. congressman.[56] The election saw the election of the city's first female mayor , who defeated acting mayor Vincent MiMonaco.[56]
Candidates[]
Vincent DiMonaco, acting mayor and Springfield city councilor since 1972[56]
Joseph Harrington, 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987 mayoral candidate
Mary Hurley, Springfield city councilor since 1980[56][57]
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[57]
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.[57]
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.[58]
Hurley raised $240,000 for her campaign, almost five times as much as DiMonaco managed to raise for his.[56] This fundraising advantage enabled her to run a last-minute battery of television advertisements.[56]
Results[]
Primary
1989 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election primary results[59] March 21, 1989
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
10,331
64.66
Nonpartisan
Vincent DiMonaco (incumbent)
5,318
33.28
Nonpartisan
Joseph D. Harrington
325
2.03
Write-in
2
0
Write-in
Dan Williams
1
0
Write-in
"No name"
1
0
Total votes
15,978
100
General election
1983 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[56] April 25, 1989
The 1989 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1989, and saw the reelection of incumbent mayor (first elected earlier that year in a special election) to her first full term.[60]
The 1991 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, and was preceded by a primary on September 24, 1991. It saw the election of .
Incumbent mayor did not seek reelection, announcing in February that she would not be running, to focus her attention on the city's budget problems.[61][62] Hurleys' mayoralty had been beset by problems by this time, including wrangling with unions in the prior year.[62][63]
William Montana, draftsman and 1983 mayoral candidate[64]
Benjamin Swan, black community activist; management and education consultant[64]
Campaign[]
A major issue of the campaign ahead of the primary election was the problem of "white flight" to the city's suburbs.[62]
The frontrunners ahead of the primary election were broadly considered to be Ray DiPasquale, Robert Markel, and Paul Kalill.[64]
As a candidate, Markel advocated for increasing the amount of fees for city services and increasing the enforcement of city codes.[64] Kalill called for a "clean sweep" of politicians in city government.[64]
Benjamin Swan was a first-time candidate for elected office.[64]
William Montana advocated for a curfew for minors, as well as a revival of school prayer and corporal punishment.[64]
Results[]
Primary
1991 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[66] September 24, 1991
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
nonpartisan
Ray DiPasquale
6,806
29.61
nonpartisan
6,634
28.86
nonpartisan
Paul Kalill
6,047
26.31
nonpartisan
Benjamin Swan
2,922
12.71
nonpartisan
Leroy Crenshaw
440
1.91
nonpartisan
William Montana
138
0.60
Turnout
22,987
General election
1991 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[67] November 5, 1991
The 1993 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1993, and was preceded by a primary on September 21, 1993. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor .
Benjamin Swan, president of the Springfield NAACP and 1991 mayoral candidate[68]
Campaign[]
Merkel took credit for restoring services previously cut in past budgets.[69] Walsh argued that Markel had been neglecting towards public safety.[69] Swan said that safety, education, and employment were the top issues in the city.[69]
Results[]
Primary
1993 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[68] September 21, 1993
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
nonpartisan
(incumbent)
8,154
47.87
nonpartisan
Kateri Walsh
4,624
27.15
nonpartisan
Ben Swan
4,256
24.99
Total votes
17,034
100
General election
1993 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[70] November 2, 1993
The 1995 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, and was preceded by a primary on September 19, 1995. It saw the election of mayor Michael Albano, who unseated incumbent mayor . Markel placed third in the primary, thereby failing to make the general election.
Candidates[]
Michael Albano, Springfield City Council president
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.[72][73] The issue dominated the campaign.[73][74] In the end, however, despite the voters voting against the ballot initiative, Albano (who had supported it) beat Ryan (who had opposed it).[75]
The 1997 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1997. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Michael Albano, who was running uncontested.
Results[]
1997 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[77] November 4, 1997
The 1999 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Michael Albano, running uncontested, to a third term.[78]
Results[]
1999 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[79] November 2, 1999
The 2001 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 2001, and was preceded by a primary on September 25, 2001. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Michael Albano to a fourth term.
Candidates[]
Michael Albano, incumbent mayor since 1996
, Massachusetts state representative since 1993[80][81]
Nicole Jones
Results[]
Primary election
2001 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[82][83] September 25, 2001
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
nonpartisan
Michael J. Albano (incumbent)
9,682
53.4
nonpartisan
8,015
44.2
nonpartisan
Nicole Jones
445
2.5
write-in
Others
Total votes
100
General election
2001 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[84] November 6, 2001
The 2003 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 2003. It saw former three-term mayor Charles Ryan returned to office for a fourth non-consecutive term.
Incumbent mayor Michael Albano did not seek reelection.
Candidates[]
Lynda J. Melconian, former majority leader of the Massachusetts Senate
Charles Ryan, former mayor (1962–1968)
Results[]
2003 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[85] November 4, 2003
The 2005 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 2005, and saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Charles Ryan reelected to a second consecutive, and fifth overall, term as mayor.
Candidates[]
Tom Ashe, member of the Springfield School Committee since 2000 and former member of the Springfield License Commission (1998–1999)[86][87]
The 2007 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007. It saw Domenic Sarno unseat incumbent mayor Charles Ryan.
When announcing his candidacy for reelection, Ryan had declared that he intended this to be his final campaign for mayor.[89] At the age of 79, he was the oldest mayor in the state at the time he announced his reelection campaign in April.[90]
Since only two candidates ran, no primary was held.
Candidates[]
Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor
Domenic Sarno, at-large member of the Springfield City Council since 1999[91]
The 2011 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 2011, and was preceded by a primary on September 20, 2011. Incumbent mayor Domenic Sarno won reelection to a second term.
This was the first election to a four-year mayoral term, Springfield voters had, in 2009, approved a change to the city's charter which extended the mayor's term in office from two to four years.[98]
This was the first time since 2001 that more than two candidates ran, which triggered a primary election.[99][71]
Candidates[]
Antonette E. Pepe, Springfield School Committee member[71]
Domenic Sarno, incumbent mayor
Jose F. Tosado, Springfield City Council president[71]
Campaign[]
Both Tosado and Pepe were considered to be high-profile and politically experienced challengers to Sarno.[71] 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.[99]
2011 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[100] September 20, 2011
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
Domenic J. Sarno (incumbent)
8,271
60.15
Nonpartisan
Jose F. Tosado
3,191
23.21
Nonpartisan
Antoine E. Pepe
2,276
16.55
Write-in
Write-ins
13
0.09
Turnout
13,751
14.64
General election
2011 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[101] November 8, 2011
The 2015 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, and was preceded by a primary on September 8, 2015. Incumbent mayor Domenic Sarno won reelection to a third term.
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[102][103][104]
Beverly L. Savage, candidate for mayor of New Haven, Connecticut in 1995[105]
Campaign[]
Salvatore S. Circosta was politically conservative, closely tying his candidacy with his Catholicism.[102] Early into his candidacy, Circosta publicly disclosed that he was a gay man.[102] Circosta described himself as conservative on issues such as abortion rights and financial matters, but "progressive" on some issues such as gay rights.[102]
Results[]
Primary
2015 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral primary election results[106] September 8, 2015
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Nonpartisan
Domenic J. Sarno (incumbent)
5,067
75.23
Nonpartisan
Salvatore S. Circosta
576
8.55
Nonpartisan
Johnnie Ray McKnight
488
7.25
Nonpartisan
Invelisse Gonzalez
202
3.00
Nonpartisan
Beverly L. Savage
187
2.78
Nonpartisan
Michael Jones
178
2.64
Write-in
Write-ins
37
0.55
Turnout
6,735
7.12
General election
2015 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral general election results[107] November 3, 2015
The 2019 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 2019, and was preceded by a primary on September 10, 2019. It was held in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Incumbent mayor Domenic Sarno won reelection to a fourth term.
By virtue of winning reelection to his fourth term, Sarno became poised to be the city's longest-serving mayor.[108]
Candidates[]
Yolanda Cancel, community organizer and candidate for Springfield City Council in 2007[109]
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