Residents set up outside of the Jackson Street school polling location, holding up signs for candidates during the Sept. 16 preliminary election.
Reminder Publishing photos by Trent Levakis
NORTHAMPTON — The city’s Sept. 16 preliminary election has narrowed down the candidates in multiple races, most notably in the mayoral race, where incumbent Gina-Louise Sciarra will face off against challenger Jillian Duclos on the November ballot.
Sciarra received 2,991 votes, just over 50% of the vote in the four-way race. Duclos received 1,510 votes to make the November ballot, edging out fellow candidates Dan Breindel and David Dombrowski who received 1,214 and 482 votes, respectively.
Another takeaway from the preliminary election was that all five candidates supported by the Support Our Schools and Services Political Action Committee advanced to the November general election. The group was born from grassroots movement in the city to fight against school staff cuts that resulted from Sciarra’s 2024 budget. These candidates include Duclos, City Council at large candidates Deborah Henson and Meg Robbins, and ward City Council candidates Michele Ronco and Vincent Rotello IV.
In the City Council at large race, incumbent Garrick Perry was the top vote getter, receiving 2,249 votes. Robbins was a close second with 2,201. The other two at-large candidates to be featured on the November ballot will be Benjamin Spencer and Henson. The four-way race will decide two at-large seats on the City Council.
Eliminated from the at-large race was Yakov Kronrod and William O’Dwyer, receiving 1,510 and 894 votes, respectively.
The race for Ward 1’s City Council seat was narrowed down to candidates Gwen Nabad, who received 343 votes and Michele Ronco who received 277 votes. The Ward 3 race will see incumbent Quaverly Rothenberg on the November ballot against Laurie Loisel, who was the top vote getter of the three candidates in Ward 3.
The Ward 5 race, the last of the races that required the primary election, current School Committee member Aline Davis won with 439 votes. Davis will face off against Vincent Rotello IV on the November ballot.
The November general election will take place on Nov. 4. Sample ballots can be viewed on the city’s website.
