Ralph Figy and Jessica Britton were both campaigning towards the end of Election Day outside of the Westfield Senior Center, the Ward 2 voting location.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter
WESTFIELD — According to unofficial results, 5,854 residents, 19.97% of the 29,308 registered voters, made their voices heard in Westfield’s municipal election where there were contested races for mayor, at large City Council and Ward 2 City Council.
Mayor Michael McCabe earned a third two-year term with 4,723 votes to 1,473 cast for challenger Andrew Mullen.
The biggest upset of the night was in the at large race, where challenger and former Mayor Daniel Knapik earned one of the seven available seats. Bumped from the City Council was incumbent and former Mayor Richard Sullivan Jr.
“I would like to thank the voters for electing me to the City Council. My number one issue during the campaign was the affordability of living in Westfield. The voters heard that message and sent me back to city hall on their behalf. There is a lot of work to be done as the budget season begins in February. I don’t have a learning curve as this election marks my 21st year in local government and I am ready to go on day one,” Knapik said after the election.
Top vote-getter in the at large race was Dan Allie with 2,974 votes, followed by Nicholas Morganelli Jr. with 2,901, James Adams with 2,798, Brent Bean II with 2,784, Kristen Mello with 2,744, Knapik with 2,693 and Cindy Harris with 2,690 votes, all of whom were elected.
Not elected were challenger Robert Parent, who was in the eighth spot with 2,600 votes, followed by Sullivan with 2,558, Christopher McCrary with 2,111 and John Bowen with 1,842 votes.
Running unchallenged and elected for another two-year term on the City Council was Karen Fanion in Ward 1, Bridget Matthews-Kane in Ward 3, Michael Burns in Ward 4, John Beltrandi, Jr. in Ward 5 and William Onyski in Ward 6.
Fanion, who will be entering her second term in January, said she was grateful for the support and trust of the residents in her ward. “It is a true honor to serve our city, and especially the residents of Ward 1. I’m excited to continue working over the next two years on key priorities including street acceptances, public safety, traffic concerns, and finding thoughtful ways to balance business growth and the environment.”
The only contested ward race was for Ward 2 on the City Council, where incumbent Ralph Figy defeated challenger Jessica Britton by 40 votes in a close decision, with Figy receiving 337 votes to Britton’s 297.
Both Ward 2 candidates were standing outside at the allowed distance from the voting site in the Westfield Senior Center as night fell and the super moon rose on Election Day. Figy was standing with members of his family and friends on one side of the parking lot where he was joined for a time by McCabe as he made the rounds. Also there was Stephen Mazza, who had come up from Florida to vote.
Britton, who was alone holding her sign, said the day had been busy in spurts, and she had taken a break to make dinner. “At least the winds calmed down,” she said.
“I’m not a politician. People felt they weren’t being represented or heard,” Britton said as her reason for running and for speaking out at City Council and other meetings, which she has done often in the past few years.
“Whether people agree or don’t agree, it gets people talking and it gets action. If we have all these races unopposed, they’re going to think that they’re doing a good job,” she said.
Outside the Senior Center, Gavriella Serrano and Raeghan McGrath were selling coffee and donuts as a fundraiser for the Westfield High School swimming and diving team.
Inside, Westfield Police Officer Patrick Lusteg was providing security as he directed residents inside the voting area, which was running seamlessly. Volunteers Donna McEwan and Mary Daley said the day had been busier than expected.
Earlier in the day, there was a steady stream of voters at Ward 5B in the Munger Hill Elementary School. A few parents were there picking up kids. The PTO hosted a bake sale to take advantage of the crowd.
Tom Portenstein cited civic responsibility.
“You can’t complain about politics if you don’t get out and vote,” he said.
Incumbent Kathleen Hillman received the most votes for School Committee with 3,454 votes, followed by Kick Sullivan with 3,386 and Jeffrey Gosselin with 3,159 votes. All three were elected to fill the three open four-year terms on the committee.
Elected for two-year terms on the Municipal Light Board in uncontested races were Thomas Fanion in Ward 1, Ray Rivera in Ward 2, Dawn Renaudette in Ward 3, William Parks in Ward 4, Robert Goyette, Jr. in Ward 5 and Robert Sacco in Ward 6.
Also elected for a six-year term as a Westfield Athenaeum trustee was Kathleen Knapik.
The 20% turnout for the 2025 municipal election was lower than the 6,180 residents, or 22% of the electorate, who voted in the 2023 municipal election.
Jim Kinney of the Republican contributed reporting to this story.
