EASTHAMPTON — Some newly elected names will serve Easthampton, but the city will mostly see familiar faces return to serve its City Council and School Committee at the top of 2026.
In the race for at large City Councilor, incumbent Koni Denham was reelected, while newcomers Johnathan Schmidt, Nathan Markee and Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid were elected to the other three open at large seats.
Karl Prahl was the lone candidate in that at large race to not be elected.
Denham will now serve a third term on the council and told Reminder Publishing before the election that while there were many challenges on the horizon for the community, she believes collaborative efforts can help solve them.
“I work to center voices, give space to organize and support [constituents’] agency to create the change that they want to see in their community. The decisions and choices that I make are grounded in my commitment to fairness and equity,” said Denham. “I will continue to work with other councilors to support the varied interests of our constituents, including seniors, veterans, artists, homeowners and renters, and business owners,” said Denham.
Schmidt, a librarian at the Easthampton Public Library, told Reminder Publishing before the election that the listening skills he developed in his career over the years would transfer well to the council.
“As a librarian, part of my job is to know how to listen – to ask good clarifying questions in order to understand and meet someone’s needs. I’m well-versed in assessing the reliability of information, and I’m mindful of bias, both in what I learn and in myself,” he said.
Markee is chair of the Easthampton Democratic Committee and is on the Board of Directors for Easthampton Media. Living in the community for over six years, he felt his background as a business owner and deep understanding of the community’s needs made him a good candidate for one of the at large roles.
“This year, I completed the Easthampton Municipal Academy in preparation for a potential run for City Council. That training gave me essential knowledge about the different departments within our city and how they operate,” said Markee. “My approach to effective leadership is centered on coalition building, collaboration and teamwork. I will bring these skills to the council to ensure we work effectively for all Easthampton residents.”
Jamrog-McQuaid is a lifelong Easthampton resident who told Reminder Publishing prior to the election he was motivated to run because he wanted to play a bigger role in building a more affordable, sustainable and resilient Easthampton.
“I believe in government that improves everyone’s lives through pragmatic, evidence-based policymaking,” said Jamrog-McQuaid. “In my day job as an economic and public policy research analysts, I frequently work with data to help inform policy decisions at the local and state level.”
Precinct’s 1, 2 and 3 all saw uncontested races where incumbents James “JP” Kwiecinski, Felicia Jadczak and Thomas Peake were all reelected, respectively.
In Precinct 4 Amanda Newton defeated Robert Peirent by a close 573 to 533 tally. The open seat came from former Precinct 4 Councilor Salem Derby, who was just elected as mayor.
Newton told Reminder Publishing ahead of the election that as a lifelong Easthampton resident now raising her own family in the city, this community should be a place where families, seniors and working people don’t get priced out.
“I will prioritize rent-stabilization and new housing options, while also finding real solutions to keep property taxes manageable for seniors and residents on fixed incomes. Everyone deserves the stability and security to remain in the community they love,” said Newton.
In Ward 5, incumbent Tamara Smtih was reelected over challenger Catherine Wauczinski. Smith has already served three terms on the council, two as an at large councilor, and most recently as a representative of precinct 5.
Smith told Reminder Publishing that if given another term, she would continue to prioritize working on affordability of housing within her precinct.
“This is a multi-layered issue that includes protecting our green spaces, creating better walkability, encouraging intergenerational partnerships and meeting the diverse needs of all residents within Precinct 5,” said Smith.
In the race for school committee, eight candidates were running for six seats. Incumbents Linda Sue Markee, Meghan Harvey, Laura Scott, Sam Hunter and Eric Guyette were all reelected, Bonnie Lee Atkins was elected to the committee as a newcomer.
Candidates Allison Malinowski and Paul McNeil were unsuccessful in their School Committee bids. Harvey, newly elected for a third term on the committee, was the top vote getter with 3,071.
To view the full results from this year’s municipal election in Easthampton, visit easthamptonma.gov/164/Elections-Voting.
