SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield general election is expected to be a busy one this year, with most incumbents experiencing a challenger or two.
Most races will be resolved during the municipal election on Nov. 4, but some will face the Sept. 9 primary before marching to November.
Most notably, the Ward 4 City Council seat looks to be especially crowded this year, according to the candidates list from the Springfield elections office.
City Council
Incumbent Ward 4 Councilor Malo Brown will face challengers Kenneth Barnett, Willie James Naylor and Beverly Savage in the primary race. Ward 6 incumbent Victor Davila, meanwhile, is challenged by Charles Whitaker Battle and Mary Johnson for his seat in the primary election.
The top two vote-getters in those two races will clash in the Nov. 4 general election, which already features a bevy of showdowns.
The race for the Ward 1 City Council seat features a clash between Wards 1 and 3 School Committee member Joesiah Gonzalez and incumbent Maria Perez. The battle has already sparked controversy after Perez was fired from her position at the New North Citizens Council a few weeks ago. A councilor since 2021, Perez has since sued Gonzalez and her former employer on several accounts, including wrongful termination.
In the at-large realm, Nicole Coakley, Juan Latorre and former mayoral candidate Justin Hurst join incumbents Sean Curran, Jose Delgado, Tracye Whitfield, Kateri Walsh and Brian Santaniello to see who will land the five at-large seats on the council.
Meanwhile, incumbent Lavar Click-Bruce will have a challenger for the Ward 5 seat in Edward Nunez, and Ward 7 incumbent Tim Allen will battle Gerry Martin for his seat. Both races, along with the Ward 1 and at-large contests, will conclude during the Nov. 4 election with no primary.
According to the elections office, City Council President Michael Fenton, Ward 3 City Councilor Melvin Edwards and Ward 8 City Councilor Zaida Govan are running unopposed.
School Committee
Much like the council, the Springfield School Committee is expected to see contested races and some turnover. One such race, for Wards 6 and 7, will need the primary election, as incumbent Christopher Collins will face off against Steven Carosello and Rosa Valentin.
The rest of the contests do not need the primary and will instead come to a head on Nov. 4. Michele Pepe is the lone challenger to incumbents Denise Hurst and LaTonia Monroe Naylor for one of the at-large seats.
Elsewhere, Giselle Gaines will challenge incumbent Barbara Gresham for the Ward 4 and 5 seat and Ayanna Crawford looks to dethrone incumbent Peter Murphy in Wards 2 and 8.
Gumersindo Gomez has no challengers for the Ward 1 and 3 seat, as Gonzalez, who is the incumbent, is running against Perez for the Ward 1 seat on the council.
Other election info
According to City Clerk Gladys Oyola-Lopez, candidates had until June 6 to obtain nomination papers and June 10 to submit them.
Residents have until Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. to register to vote before the Sept. 9 city primary. According to the Springfield website, early voting is available between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, and residents have until Oct. 25 to register before the Nov. 4 general election.
Readers can visit springfield-ma.gov/elections/polling-locations to see where their polling location is. Reminder Publishing will have more on the candidates themselves as both elections get closer.
