After several days of rain, Friday is expected to offer sunny skies.

SPRINGFIELD -- After several days of rain, Friday is expected to offer sunny skies.

The National Weather Service predicts mostly clear skies across the commonwealth with high temperatures in the 50s for most of the state.

The high in Boston will be near 59 degrees, 58 in Springfield and Worcester, 57 in Amherst. Temperatures will remain lower in Berkshire County, the high for Pittsfield is 49 degrees.

Temperatures will drop into the 20s and 30s Friday evening. The low in Boston will be 38 degrees, 31 in Worcester, 28 in Springfield and Amherst, 27 in Pittsfield.

Police charged the 18-year-old with carrying a dangerous weapon, a butterfly knife which springs open and has a blade which is 4½ inches long..

LUDLOW - A 18-year-old man from Ludlow and three male juveniles were arrested following a disturbance on Center Street Monday afternoon.

Police were called to the area of 800 Center St. afternoon by a woman who said a group of youths were fighting and had jumped her son.

Police said Justin T. Ottomaniello, a student at Ludlow High School, was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, a butterfly knife which springs open and has a 4½-inch blade.

Three male juveniles, also students at the high school, also were arrested police said.

Police said said a 15-year-old male was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a shod foot, and disorderly conduct.

A second 15-year-old male was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and breaking into a building in the daytime for a felony and disorderly conduct.

Police said the juveniles entered the victim's home and shoved past his 40-year-old parents.

The boys then ran to the cemetery near First Church.

The 16-year-old male victim suffered a bruised face. He had blood in his mouth, police said, but his injuries were not life threatening.

A third 17-year-old juvenile was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct.

Despite the fact that all of the suspects are Ludlow High School students, not all of them live in town, police said.

The fight occurred at about 3 p.m. Police said five officers responded to the scene

In surrounding communities, Westfield and Springfield have two female city councilors, Northampton has four and Holyoke has five.

CHICOPEE - There are plenty of unknowns in the upcoming election - the former mayor could become the new mayor or a long-term City Councilor could be ousted - but there is one certainty.

No woman will be elected as a city councilor.

In the past two elections no woman has even run for one of the seats and the 13-member board has not had a female councilor since Lucille Ouimette stepped down in 2005. In fact, the country could elect a woman president before Chicopee elects a woman to the City Council.

"It's a man's board and it has been for years," said Marjorie J. Wojcik, a long-term School Committee member, who has been involved in city politics since the mid 1970s.

While Wojcik unsuccessfully ran for mayor some 20 years ago and off-and-on toyed with running for City Council, she always rejected the idea. One of the reasons she got involved in politics was to fight for improved special education in the city schools when her daughter, who has a learning disability, was young. Her allegiance and interest in helping children has remained.

"I have thought of running for (City Council) just to get some new blood in there, but now I just don't think I can take on the battle with them," she said.

The divisive politics that seem to be a constant in Chicopee may be one factor that keeps women from running for City Council, Anthony L. Cignoli, a political consultant based in Springfield.

"In my experience women are smarter than men. Maybe women in Chicopee don't want to get involved in the rock'em sock'em politics," he said.

It isn't that women won't get involved in their community. In Chicopee women tend to gravitate to more behind-the-scenes work in civic and neighborhood organizations to make changes, rather than getting involved in formal politics, Cignoli said.

Certainly Chicopee voters are not afraid to elect women. The treasurer, the Board of Assessors chairwoman and six of the 12 School Committee members are women.

The lack of women isn't endemic in Western Massachusetts city councils either, although women are definitely the minority of all boards. In Springfield and Westfield, two of the 13 councilors are female; Holyoke has five women on its 15-member council and four of the nine councilors in Northampton are women.

But when long-time politicians in Chicopee are asked when the last time a woman served on the City Council, they struggle to come up with an answer. Most remember Ouimette and Louise Monson, who served from 1998 to 2003, but cannot name another female councilor.

Laura McCarthy, the chairwoman for the Board of Assessors, is one of the rare women in the city who has been a councilor. She served from 1996 to 1997, a few years after she graduated from law school and was working as a lawyer in the city. Two years later one of the assessor seats opened up, she ran for that position and has been there since.

Assessor Laura McCarthyJeanette DeForge | jdeforge@repub.com 

"I went up against an incumbent," she said, of her City Council run. "I was young and had energy and I didn't have commitments and I went door-to-door to talk to voters."

But now she is a widow and is raising a son and said she couldn't find the time to serve on the council.

She said she has talked to other friends who are in a similar position. Most are parents who are already juggling housework, childcare and at least one is working two jobs.

"Beating an incumbent is hard work," she said. "You are putting yourself out there and you have to have a personality that is more sociable and likable."

McCarthy said her interest stemmed from her family. Her grandfather and mother were involved in politics, consequently she grew up around elected officials and watched them campaigning and later working together to get things done. She also majored in politics in college.

"I felt government could make a difference. It could change things," she said.

Women who successfully get involved in politics tend to have female mentors who have served in elected office or been involved in campaigns to give them advice, said Ann Bookman, a faculty member and the director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

It makes it harder for women, and exceptionally difficult for minority women, to break into politics when they seen an entrenched board where no one looks like them, she said.

"I think it is the old boys' network. You don't see anybody who looks like you and talks like you and you don't have the same experiences as them, you feel you don't belong," Bookman said.

Fundraising can also be a barrier. In surveys the center has run, women have said they find it difficult to ask for money while it does not seem to be as difficult for men, she said.

Women are under represented at all levels whether it is on local boards, in the state legislature or in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Nationally, just 18 percent of senators and representatives are women, she said.

"Women are 51 percent of the population and we should have something close to parity," she said. "Women have made significant strides in the workplace, but we haven't seen the same sort of progress in women's political representation."

Seeing a lack of women participate in politics on a local level is worrisome because most state and national politicians get their start serving on a School Committee or City Council, she said.

In fact it is such a concern, the Center for Women offers a one-year program that focuses on training women for leadership positions in politics and the non-profit sector, she said.

"I do wish they would run. I think we need a women's input," Dolores Asselin, a long-time Chicopee politician said. "I think women view things differently. They tend to operate with their heads and with a little bit of heart. There is a balance and women can bring that balance."

Dolores Asselin, taken when she retired as City Collector in 2001.Republican file 

In a lot of cases, women tend to stay away from making a debate personal and keep it on a professional level, she said.

Asselin was involved with city government for more than 42 years, before retiring in 2002. She served as assessor and then collector and also unsuccessfully for mayor in 1997.

"Things have changed in 15 years," she said. "Most women work and they are so stretched they don't have time."

Asselin said she was working as a clerk in the assessor's office when one of the full-time elected positions opened up and she decided to run. After serving two terms there, she ran for collector and remained in that office until she retired.

Voters will elect women if the right candidates run, she said.

"Women have to run in order to win. That is the bottom line solution to change," Debra Kozikowzki, vice chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and a Chicopee resident.

One of the problems with the Chicopee City Council is many of the members have held their seats for as long as 10 years and at least three members have been there for more than 20 years, creating an entrenched group of incumbents who are difficult to run against and difficult to beat, she said.

But Kozikowski said having a few women on the City Council could help change the contentious political climate that has been a problem in the city for years.

"Women have a tendency to be less competitive and more collaborative. Women process information in a different way," she said.

Women are also more likely to put personalities aside to get something done.

"When women are tasked with a responsibility they generally are able to put difficult personal relationships aside in order to complete a task," she said.

Kathy Picard, of Ludlow, will go to trial in U.S. District Court on Monday. She has sued her stepfather for sexually abusing her as a child, accusations defendant Louis Buoniconti adamantly denies.

SPRINGFIELD - A Ludlow woman who successfully pushed for new legislation extending the statute of limitations for alleged victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits will get her day in court.

Kathy Picard, 52, has said previously she worked for 12 years to push a new bill extending the deadline for alleged victims to sue. The law changed the deadline from age 21 to 53. The bill was signed by former Gov. Deval L. Patrick on June 26, 2014, with Picard present.

The same day, she filed a $1 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court against her stepfather. A trial is set to begin Monday.

Picard's suit says Louis Buoniconti began molesting her at age 7 and increased the sexual abuse until she 17 - accusations Buoniconti adamantly denies, according to court records.

Picard filed a 10-page lawsuit detailing abuse she claims began three years after Buoniconti married Picard's mother in 1965. The complaint states the abuse escalated over the years, with Buoniconti first appeasing her with assurances that she was "his special girl" and the need to keep "their special secret." According to the court records, Buoniconti later threatened to break up their family if she told of the alleged abuse.

Buoniconti, who is representing himself with the help of his biological daughter, filed a response to Picard's complaint that essentially consisted of a string of "not guilty" and "never happened" replies.

The Republican does not typically identify victims or alleged victims of sexual abuse, but Picard consented to be identified. She publicly identified herself as a victim of sexual abuse when pushing for the new legislation which made the lawsuit possible.

The lawsuit is in federal court because Picard is a Massachusetts resident and Buoniconti lives in Florida, according to court records.

Picard's lawsuit states she disclosed the alleged abuse to a family member when she was 9, but was told to keep quiet. It adds that she also was physically afraid of Buoniconti.

"Buoniconti, beat the plaintiff and her three sisters with a leather belt, but told the plaintiff he did not smack her as hard as the others because she was his 'special girl,'" it reads.

Picard said she finally began resisting his alleged advances when she was 17, and threatened to expose him, according to the court record.

Buoniconti, a retired U.S. postal worker, was never charged criminally with abusing Picard. He told U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson during a pretrial hearing on Thursday that he intends to submit as evidence at least two photographs suggesting he and Picard had a friendly familial relationship at least into her young adulthood.

He also worried aloud about whether he would get a fair trial, given that there had been some publicity about the case in local newspapers.

"She put the trial date in the (weekly) newspaper. It's in all the grocery stores. I don't see how I'm going to get a fair trial," he told Robertson, who responded that jury selection includes questions about media coverage and whether it compromised the objectivity of prospects.

Robertson also told plaintiff's lawyer John B. Stewart that she called for extra prospective jurors because sexual abuse is a pervasive issue for many people.

"It actually takes a while to select a jury when there are allegations of this nature," the judge said. "That's why I've called in a much larger group for jury selection than usual."

Stewart and Buoniconti may make opening arguments in the case as early as Monday afternoon. Buoniconti has said he cannot afford to hire a lawyer and judges do not have the authority to appoint lawyers for litigants in civil cases.

Picard also won the William Pynchon Award in 2014 for her work on the legislation and with abuse victims.

The Holyoke firefighters union president said he appreciated the acting treasurer's handling of payroll issues fast and with respect.

HOLYOKE -- The firefighters union endorsed acting City Treasurer Sandra A. Smith in her candidacy for that seat on Election Day Tuesday.

Smith, who is running against Joshua A. Garcia, on Thursday emailed a copy of an Oct. 26 letter to her from firefighter Christopher Butler, president of Holyoke Fire Fighters Association, Local 1693, International Association of Fire Fighters.

"You have provided an outstanding level of service to our members. There have been multiple examples of payroll issues that have (arisen) during your tenure. All were handled efficiently, timely and with respect," Butler's letter said.

Joshua A. GarciaIMAGE FROM FACEBOOK 

"We also recognized the work you have accomplished within the treasurer's office. Your continued work in tax title collection and the auction process has increased city revenues. These revenues (go) directly in providing city services including funding for the Fire Department," the letter said.

Smith said it was an honor to be recognized by such a "tremendous group" of employees.

"I'm thrilled that they feel my connection with their members and other city employees is strong and that I'm here to help everyone. I strongly believe in providing services 'efficiently, timely, and with respect,' and greatly appreciate that the Local 1693 union has recognized my efforts," Smith said.

Smith and Garcia are competing to fill the remaining two years of the four-term of former City Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra, who resigned Feb. 13 for a private-sector job.

Smith, who was assistant treasurer under Lumbra, was appointed acting treasurer by Mayor Alex B. Morse in February.

Garcia is municipal services coordinator with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and a former School Committee member.

The treasurer's yearly salary is $70,016.

The treasurer's duties include handling tax title records for properties whose owners are in arrears with the city, holding and investing city funds and managing employee payrolls in the city budget, which began the current fiscal year July 1 at $125.5 million.

"It seems to me that politicians endorse other politicians," Griffin, a Springfield Democrat, said, by way of explaining why he's not actively wooing endorsements in a race that won't be decided until November 2016.

SPRINGFIELD — Jack Griffin, a self-described "anti-politician" and "legitimate underdog," is scheduled to appear on the popular Bax & O'Brien radio program on Nov. 2.

The candidate for Hampden County sheriff said Steve Nagle, the show's producer, asked him to come on Monday morning's program to talk about the sheriff's race with co-hosts Mike Baxendale and John O'Brien. Griffin is slated to go live on the air around 8 a.m.

Griffin, a Springfield Democrat who retired from the Connecticut Department of Corrections a few years ago, said he believes his brand of politics – that is, the antithesis of "politics" – will appeal to everyday residents who are "tired of the status quo." Going on Bax & O'Brien is a chance for him to appeal to voters directly, he said.

"It seems to me that politicians endorse other politicians," Griffin said, by way of explaining why he's not actively wooing local leaders for endorsements in a race that won't be decided until November 2016.

Rather, Griffin said he's banking on his resume, which includes more than two decades as a drug and alcohol counselor at various Connecticut correctional institutions. Considering the high number of inmates suffering with addiction and substance-abuse issues, Griffin believes his expertise could come in handy, he said.

"I've been dealing with people for 30 years on the marginal, hard-edge of life, and I've had success in helping them," he said, adding that he hopes to continue his vocation as Hampden County sheriff. "For years I've been dealing with the recovery community right hear in Western Mass, being the best power of example I can be," Griffin said.

The candidate admits he doesn't have the deep pockets required to wage a 21st century political campaign, especially going up against Ludlow Democrat Nick Cocchi, a ranking officer at the Hampden County Sheriff's Department who already has the backing of many mainstream Democrats. Among Cocchi's supporters is Sheriff Mike Ashe, who's retiring after more than 40 years in the post. Ashe has been introducing Cocchi to influential leaders across the county and appearing at key events with the candidate.

"I'm not seeking endorsements from politicians, but I am going to seek endorsements from the people," Griffin said. "We're going up against the preeminent political machine in Massachusetts," he said, referring to Ashe and his Democratic support network. The sheriff recently sent out more than 1,200 personal invites to Cocchi's latest fundraiser at Chicopee's Castle of Knights, an event that drew a large crowd.

For Griffin, a native of Springfield's Forest Park section who now lives in neighboring East Forest Park, none of this matters. He's planning his own humbler campaign kickoff event – minus the fanfare of Cocchi's massive launch at the Basketball Hall of Fame – at Holy Name Parish, the Forest Park Catholic church where Griffin still attends Sunday Mass.

More specifically, Griffin said he hopes to use the church's gymnasium, where he played basketball as a kid, as the site for his kickoff party, which is tentatively planned for around St. Patrick's Day. It'll be a homecoming of sorts, he said, a "return of the prodigal son," as one older nun put it to Griffin.

Griffin, an avid roundballer back in the day, described himself as a point guard. "If you get a good point guard, you gotta have good people with you – grant-writers, financial people, good support staff," he said, listing the sorts of people he'd like to have on his sheriff's team. "You gotta trust them, but you gotta lead them, and that's what a good sheriff will do," he said.

"Mike Ashe and Nick Cocchi – it's the same old, same old," Griffin said. Cocchi isn't part of the "fresh set of eyes I want to bring," Griffin said. "He's part of the same set of old eyes at the jail."

Griffin's campaign is finally starting to take shape. "I Back Jack" bumper stickers are suddenly cropping up around greater Springfield, and so are signs for the candidate. On any given morning, you may spy Griffin, sign in hand, somewhere near The X, his old Forest Park stomping ground.

He's not interested in becoming sheriff for financial or political reasons, he said, noting that he already has a nice pension and likes his little house in East Forest Park. The reason he's in the race – and in it to win it – is because he firmly believes he has the chops to help addicts get on the path to recovery, he said.

"I don't know where I'm going, but I never forgot where I came from," Griffin said on a recent morning, downing a plate of hash and eggs at Cafe Christo, a Belmont Avenue breakfast joint near The X.

"I'm a viable candidate who's not part of that machine – not a part of any political machine – who's trying to get a message out," he said. "The anti-politician, the regular guy."

Griffin pauses for a minute.

"I'm a legitimate underdog," he said. "But, I'm hoping (voters) see the body of work I've done over the past 30 years."

Voters Tuesday are being asked to ratify the City Council vote authorizing the creation and operation of a Municipal Telecommunications System.

GREENFIELD - Incumbent Mayor William Martin wants more time to implement projects that are underway. Mayoral challenge Patty Morey Walker thinks its time for change.

The two are seeking the mayor's position in Tuesday's annual town election.

Martin last had competition in 2009 when he defeated fellow Town Councilor Alfred J. Siano to become the town's second mayor. Mayor Christine Forgey was defeated in the primary.

Martin, 70, said there's "great momentum." He wants to finish what he's started including launching a pilot program that would bring Internet and phone service to everyone in Greenfield.

Voters Tuesday are being asked to ratify the City Council vote authorizing the creation and operation of a Municipal Telecommunications System.

That system is Greenlight. The mayor said that would reduce phone and Internet bills by 40 to 50 percent and save the town money, just as the town saves money on electric.

In 2010, the town put in a 2.5-megawatt array on the old landfill that provided $240,000 in savings. He said the town installed LED streetlights that will not only provide better lighting by saving  $75,000 to $85,000 a year. 

"My approach to controlling spending and to balance the budget is you have to have an entrepreneurial feeling of what makes things tick and how things work," he said.

He talked about the marketing of the former Lunt Silversmiths site on which the Springfield-based Behavioral Health Network plans to build at 64-bed drug and alcohol detox center as one way he's helping to expand the local tax base.

He said while the town has the second highest tax rate in the commonwealth, the average tax of $3,940 places the community 204^th lowest out of 351.

And he said the while town can legally raise taxes by 2.5 percent a year, it has not done so over the last three years "using new revenue centers rather than burdening the local property tax payer."

In 2013, the rate was $20.72 per $1,000, dropping to $20.53 in 2014, rising to $22.51 in 2015.  Martin said the rate is slated to drop to $21.81 in 2016.

He believes the town has a vibrant downtown with unique shops. 

He said the biggest challenge facing the town is dealing with the continued loss of state revenue, an issue not unique to Greenfield.

That's why he said the key is to creating "new revenue streams, providing the funds without taxing the property owner.

"It's a challenge to court business to keep them here and expand excellent housing."

But he said the town can offer lower electric costs and as well as lower phone and Internet costs as well as further savings.

Morey Walker, 51, is a software programmer who has lived in town for five years. She believes she can bring an outsider's perspective to the town.

 "I saw an opportunity in Greenfield (for) some new energy. A new approach."  

She said Greenfield is changing as new people move in.

"We've been stagnant," she said in terms of governing. She is concerned about the tax rate that she said has increased every year because of spending.

She wants to take a closer look at spending and wants the town to adopt an open checkbook on the town website, which she said needs to be improved.

"I question spending, question where the money going." 

 Open Checkbook adopted by communities including Amherst and Northampton provides people with a look what the community spends money on.

 Martin said the town is in the process of upgrading its system and that open checkbook offering should be up next April. 

Morey Walker said she wants to be a cheerleader for Greenfield and wants to hire an economic development director full time. The town's last full-time economic director Robert Pyers was placed on a paid administrative leave in January and then resigned.

Since then, Larry Jutres and John Lunt are sharing the duties.

 Morey Walker wants to involve the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and the Greenfield Business Association to work together to bring in new businesses.

She knows that's not the mayor's job but the mayor can set a tone.

She wants to see cooperatives come downtown, business incubator. "It's the matter of thinking outside the box."

She knows new growth is a way to keep property taxes from rising.

It was important to challenge the mayor and a lot of issues have been brought up that wouldn't have been. "It's good for democracy," she said.

She doesn't see being here only five years a negative. "I'm not tied to anyone or anything politically. What's wrong with having fresh ideas?" She said voters don't care about her longevity, they care about "new energy (and reversing) the status quo."

"I have municipal experience.  I've held elective office." She was elected to the neighborhood council in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, and was a member of the Finance Committee in Conway.

She was a department head in the administration of former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, where she was in charge of workers' compensation. She says during her tenure, workers' compensation expenditures were reduced by $3 million. 

She said that she is working very hard in her campaign. She knows it's not easy. "The fact that he's an incumbent, he has solid support. It's an uphill battle."

She said the town's demographics are changing she doesn't see herself "representing the old Greenfield or the new Greenfield." Instead she said she wants to represent one Greenfield.

Polls will be open at the Greenfield High School gymnasium, 22 Barr Ave. from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Holyoke candidate Adrian Dahlin offered thoughts on economic development to expand on a time-restricted response he gave at a recent debate.

HOLYOKE -- Adrian K. Dahlin, a candidate in Tuesday's election for City Council at large, said Friday that what the city needs is economic development that provides opportunity for residents, takes advantage of assets here and seeks thoughtful growth.

"At the recent candidate forum at Holyoke High School, the moderator asked me how I would 'support growth for the City of Holyoke.' This (statement, see below) answers that question and expands on the one-minute answer I gave during the forum," Dahlin said in an email.

Dahlin and 14 others, incumbents and challengers, are competing for the eight at large seats on the 15-member City Council. The council also has representatives from each of the seven city wards.

Dahlin, 27, of 22 Keefe Ave, is director of admissions and marketing at the Conway School, a landscape design and planning graduate program in Conway and Easthampton.

Here is Dahlin's statement:

The Right Kind of Economic Development for Holyoke

Creating Opportunity

I believe the centerpiece of Holyoke's economic development plans should be re-industrializing downtown through manufacturing, high tech, and the creative industries. These kinds of jobs will provide the quality employment opportunities that lift people from poverty, give youth an incentive to succeed in school and reduce crime by presenting the opportunity to make a living legally.

While we attract new business to Holyoke, we also need to invest in workforce development. For new business to fully benefit our community, we need these employers to hire locally. They may have trouble finding the needed skills within our workforce, however, so we should develop programs to train Holyokers in the marketable skills these employers need. Our educators can work with the private sector to develop the right training programs at Dean Tech, HCC, other schools, and potentially new adult education programs.

As we create opportunities in employment, we also need to look at housing policy. I believe that the best housing programs are those that support families in reaching the goal of home ownership, as opposed to living long-term in subsidized rental units. On the campaign trail, many have offered me the advice to focus on voters in our predominantly white, middle class neighborhoods because they seem to vote in higher numbers (though the advice is usually given more subtly than that). But I've also seen firsthand that families who own their homes - even mostly Latino neighborhoods like Churchill - are civically engaged and invested in their community regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic origin.

These commitments to re-industrialization, workforce development, and home ownership combine to offer a hope of urban revitalization without displacement. It is our responsibility to seek forms of economic development that benefit all corners of our community, and the large majority of people who want to work and have something to offer.

Leveraging Our Assets

Holyoke is a planned industrial city. Despite decades of industrial decline, industry remains our best hope, because manufacturing is starting to return to the US after decades of offshoring. We should aggressively promote business opportunities in Holyoke based on our beautiful and affordable historic buildings, industrial infrastructure, and cheap, clean energy.

In addition, we have space to grow our population. Holyoke was planned to accommodate 60,000 people and currently has 40,000. Increasing the number of residents will create more demand for the restaurant, retail, and entertainment sectors, and these kinds of businesses will re-establish a vibrant downtown.

We also need to take care of another essential asset - businesses that are already here. When a city-owned building has been declared unsafe by professional inspectors, it is the City's responsibility to keep neighbors out of danger. If we can't take care of our own, how can we honestly attract new people or new business to Holyoke?

The First Step - Improving Our Government

To accomplish all this, we need to improve local government itself. This includes streamlining the permitting process, a necessity I saw firsthand while serving on the Conservation Commission for three years. I support the proposal of Councilor Rebecca Lisi to create a new city position - an "ombudsman" - whose responsibility it would be to help people navigate local regulations. The state has such a position, currently filled by Tim Wilkerson.

The Mayor and City Council should support systems of accountability to ensure that local bureaucracy works well. Councilors should then lean on city employees for advice and guidance. They are hired to be experts and should be treated as advisors to the politicians.

Now, back to the question posed to me last week at the candidate forum. How should we "support growth for Holyoke"? We need to support the growth of our city government - not necessarily in size but in character, representativeness, efficiency, effectiveness and thoughtfulness.

Bars and restaurants, a private club, package stores and a guitar shop are among licensed alcohol purveyors in Easthampton, which is considering asking the Massachusetts Legislature for eight more "over-quota" restaurant liquor licenses.

EASTHAMPTON -- As the Easthampton City Council considers whether to petition the Massachusetts Legislature for eight more "over-quota" restaurant liquor licenses, readers of The Republican / MassLive have asked where the the city's current licenses are held.

According to records held with the city and the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, there are 41 current liquor licenses in Easthampton, distributed among restaurants and bars, retail stores, a private club, an unopened bed-and-breakfast, an event space and more. The state offers various types of liquor licenses under chapter 138, the laws governing alcohol.

Each of Easthampton's year-round licenses -- those for on-premise consumption and for retail sales -- will be up for renewal in November, said Nikki Growhoski, clerk to the Easthampton Licensing Board.

Twenty-three of the licenses valid for 2015 are "all-pour" restaurant, club or general permits, which allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages on premise. Five are pouring licenses for beer and wine only. Three are "farmer-brewery" permits for pouring glasses of beer on-premise. The city has four full-alcohol package stores, and five retail stores licensed to sell beer and wine, even though one of them has gone out of business. Finally, a Union Street coffee shop holds a seasonal beer and wine license.

Of the city's 23 all-pour on-premise licenses, 17 have been issued within the parameters of a state quota that caps licenses in any one municipality according to a population-based formula. Easthampton qualified for its 17th all-pour license in 2012 because its population had exceeded 16,000. Four businesses vied for that extra license, which the city's Licensing Board awarded to Glory of India at 29 Union St.

Easthampton's other six full-pours are "legislative" or "over-quota" licenses created by special acts of the Legislature. The over-quota licenses are tied to a specific location, and may only be transferred to a new owner at the same location -- meaning they may not be sold to an entrepreneur hoping to open a restaurant or bar elsewhere in the city.

The city has also reached separate quotas with its five beer-and-wine pouring licenses, its four full-alcohol package stores and its five beer-and-wine retail licenses, meaning any extra licenses would need legislative approval -- although the demise of TruBeer at 28 Northampton St. this year will free up a standard wine and beer retail license in 2016.

Annual renewal fees, paid to the city, are $100 for a farmer-brewery pouring license, $875 for a beer and wine pouring license, and $1,313 for a full-pour alcohol license, said Growhoski. An entertainment permit renewal costs an extra $100 per year, and "amusement devices" within bars can be renewed for $75.

All-alcohol package stores pay a $1,313 annual renewal fee, and stores that sell beer and wine pay $875.

The City Council on Nov. 4 will continue its discussion on whether to petition the Legislature for eight more over-quota pouring licenses in an effort to support economic development.

ALL-POUR LICENSES

Easthampton's 17 standard all-pour licenses current for 2015 are as follows:

The Pizza House at 66 Union St., The Brass Cat at 65 Cottage St. (with provision for the creation of seasonal outdoor seating), Whiskerz Pub at 71-77 Cottage St., Nini's Restaurant at 122-124 Cottage St., Glendale Grill at 65-67 Glendale St., Coco and the Cellar Bar at 93-95 Main St. (including an outside patio area), the Polish Pulaski Club at 79 Maple St., Tavern on the Hill at 100 Mountain Rd., Adamo's at 126 Northampton St., Eastworks, LLP for a 4,750 square-foot restaurant on the first floor, the Peter Pan Cafe at 46 Pleasant St., the Legion Club at 190-192 Pleasant St., Casey's Big Dog Saloon at 401/2 Holyoke St., Amy's Place at 78-82 Cottage St., Papa George Pizza at 135 D Northampton St., Glory of India at 29 Union St.. 

An all-alcohol "club license" is current for the private Passcommuck Club at 44 Union St.

The six over-quota all-alcohol pouring licenses, created by a special act of the Legislature and tied to a specific location, are held by the following entities:

The Platinum Pony at 30-32 Cottage St.; Smoky Baer's at 5 Chapman Ave.; the Art Bar Cafe at 1 Northampton St., including the entire building and grounds, exclusive of the parking lot; the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House on Rt. 141 (with its addition that straddles the Holyoke/Easthampton line),  Riff's Joint (The Hideaway) at 116 Pleasant St., and Galaxy at 60-62 Main St., including space for outdoor and rooftop dining. 

The Art Bar Cafe, with an over-quota full-pour license, closed for the winter in both 2013 and 2014, according to previous reports. This past April, a post on the cafe's Facebook page asked if anyone wanted to take over its operation. "We are too busy running the schools, and James has too much going on with his law practice to continue. It could be a great opportunity for the right person," says the post. The cafe is co-owned by Alexei Levine and Valerie Hood, who also run a massage school at the same address. Levine, reached by email Thursday, said the couple are currently in talks with someone who they think will run the venue as "a great addition to the city."

Smoky Baer's at 5 Chapman Ave. received a legislative, above-quota all-alcohol pouring license in November 2014. Owner Michael C. Baer plans a small smokehouse restaurant with a full bar at the back of his home, which he plans to convert into a bed and breakfast. Baer, who first petitioned the local Licensing Board for permission to pursue an above-quota license in 2011, was before the same board about a year ago to deliver a status update. Reached by telephone Thursday, Baer said he has purchased all of his restaurant equipment, and that his architect is working out construction details with the city's building department.

Eastworks owner William Bundy now owns the full-pour liquor license once associated with the Apollo Grill, a former restaurant in the 116 Pleasant St. building that was leased and operated by chef John Casey Douglass. Douglass, who now operates Galaxy at 60-62 Main St., sold the Apollo Grill license and restaurant fixtures to Bundy last year for $30,000. The license is a standard one, issued under the quota system, so may legally be sold or transferred to another location. There is currently no restaurant in operation at the former Apollo Grill space. Bundy did not immediately return a call seeking information about his plans.

The Platinum Pony, with its over-quota all-pour license, was badly damaged by fire in October. Owner Kristen Davis, reached by telephone, said she plans to rebuild.

BEER AND WINE POURING LICENSES

Aside from the 23 full-pour licenses, Easthampton has issued five pouring licenses for beer and wine.

Wine and malt restaurant licenses are current for Village Pizza at 100 Union St., Easthampton Diner at 117 Union St., and La Casita Azteca at 58 Cottage St.

Eastworks owner Bundy owns a general, on-premise wine and malt license for a 2,200 square-foot event space on the first floor of the 116 Pleasant St. renovated mill building. Luthier's Co-op, the music venue and guitar shop at 108 Cottage St., is also current with its general, on-premise wine and malt license.

'FARMER-BREWERY' LICENSES

Three venues are licensed only for pouring pints of beer, with "farmer-brewery" pouring permits.

1776 Brewing Co., doing business as Fort Hill Brewery, has a "malt only" pouring license which, as printed on its state license renewal form, limits drinking to the inside of a "three story metal building" totaling 10,000 square feet. A malt-only pouring license for an indoor tasting area has also been issued to Abandoned Building Brewery at 142 Pleasant St. New City Brewery at 180 Pleasant St. is licensed with a malt pouring license for a tasting room and bar area, with an additional 1,327 square feet of "future outdoor seating."

PACKAGE STORE LICENSES

The city has four fully licensed package stores.

They are Jim's Package Store at 49 Cottage St., Ferry St. Package Store at 64 Ferry St., and Old Colony Package Store at 328-30 Main St., Union Package Store at 68 Union St.

BEER AND WINE RETAIL LICENSES

Five retail licenses are current in 2015 for selling beer and wine.

Licensed for wine and malt sales are Valley Farms convenience store at 128 Northampton St., Big E's Foodland at 11 Union St., Gerry's Variety at 139 Pleasant St., Pleasant Variety & Package Store at 42 Pleasant St., and the now-closed Trubeer at 28 Northampton St. -- a space that now holds a web development company.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Tenth grade art students from SCotA's Museum Studies Class assisted in each activity as docents.

SPRINGFIELD — Students of the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts magnet school, spent part of the night in the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum on Thursday exploring Asian artifacts and dabbling in some art work of their own.

During the after-hours event, students, staff and family at the city's newest magnet school dedicated to the arts, participated in a series of fun and artistic activities while exploring the Chinese and Japanese art contained in the Quadrangle museum's galleries.

Activities included a scavenger hunt for masks in the Chinese gallery, with a prize for guessing the closest number; a discussion of Japanese artifacts and clothing, including Samurai Warrior attire modeled by a teacher at the conservatory; perusal of the "Cabinets of Curiosity" exhibit; and an art-making session in the Art Discovery Center.

Tenth grade art students from SCotA's Museum Studies Class assisted in each activity as docents.

And some student-made glass plates artwork, modeled after the work of Senegalese artist Ibou Pouye, were also on exhibit in the museum.

Pouye will visit SCota, according to art teacher April Wesley. SCotA teacher Patty Bode, who visited Pouye in Africa, has introduced students to the artist's work as part of the school's effort to expand students' cultural horizons.

Thursday night's event, a collaboration of the school, which students and staff refer to as SCotA, and the Springfield Museums, began at 5:30 and concluded at 6:30.

Those who attended the museum event received free tickets to Thursday's 7:30 performance of "The Grand Parade (of the 20th Century)" at City Stage. The performance, done in silence, incorporated the work of artist Marc Chagall.

The entire student body will attend an performance of the show on Friday.

The conservatory opened in the fall of 2014 for 120 students Grades 6 and 9.

Now in its second year of operation, the school added 7th and 10th grade classes. The school, which will eventually include Grades 6 through 12, will add grades over the next few years.

In addition to academic courses, incoming students will take four art courses – one in drama, one in dance, one in music and one in visual arts.

The school will provide strong instruction in math, English, science and social studies, Brewster said. "But students will do some kind of art every day," according to Principal David Brewster.

Student performers sometimes leave the confines of the school building, located in Indian Orchard, to bring their talents on the road.

Last winter, students performers brought Cuban sounds to the Community Music School of Springfield's soaring space in the former Shawmut bank building on lower State Street. .

The museum and City Stage events were funded by the magnet grant.

Diomaris Valentin, 30, was sentenced to 12 to 14 years in state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Springfield fatal stabbing of Craig Sheridan

SPRINGFIELD — Diomaris Valentin, who had been charged with first degree murder in the Springfield death of 61-year-old Criag Sheridan, pleaded guilty on Thursday to voluntary manslaughter.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page accepted the agreed-upon recommendation of prosecution and defense and sentenced Valentin, 30, of Springfield, to 12 to 15 years in state prison.

Valentin has credit for 562 days spent in jail awaiting trial.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez said the theory of manslaughter was "excessive force in self defense."

Velazquez said Valentin claimed self defense in the March 2014 killing, and he was not challenging that claim. Sheridan was found dead in his 5 Temple St., Springfield, apartment on March 22 clutching a chair with his left hand and lying in a pool of coagulated blood.

Velezquez said Sheridan could have been dead in the apartment as long as nine days.

He said Sheridan, who was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds, died of a single stab wound to the chest. A 13-inch kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade with blood on it was found on a chair near Sheridan.

There was alcohol and cocaine in his body, Velazquez said.

Ann Sheridan, Craig Sheridan's sister, said no amount of time given to Valentin could satisfy the family. She said she feels anger toward Valentin for "taking my brother's life in such a brutal way."

She said it was very difficult to find out her brother had been in the apartment dead for so long. She said Valentin had taken her brother's cell phone and could have texted police anonymously to report the death.

Ann Sheridan said she had hoped her brother, a taxi driver, would get sober and resume a close relationship with family.

Christopher Sheridan, the victim's brother, said his family had been hit hard with addiction. His brother's death, he said, was "incomprehensible."

Christopher Sheridan said he has some survivor's guilt. "In many ways Craig was a much better person than me," he said.

As to Valentin not letting anyone know his brother was dead in the apartment, Christopher Sheridan said, "Most individuals see a dead dog on the side of the road, they make a call."

He said the amount of time Valentin is getting is not enough, but the family agreed the plea deal was better than taking a chance Valentin would be found not guilty at trial.

Valentin turned herself in to police on April 16, 2014 after police had contacted her family members with questions. At first she said she didn't stab Sheridan, but then said she stabbed him in self defense after he "freaked out," got the knife and hit her, Velazquez said.

Defense lawyer Tracy E. Duncan said Valentin left home at age 15 to live with an aunt, and at 19 she started smoking crack and has been doing it ever since.

She had the first of her five children at age 19, Duncan said. Duncan said Valentin lived "here and there" and sometimes had residences, but "she spent a lot of time on the street." Valentin, who had prostitution arrests, was getting by making deliveries to crack buyers and getting some crack in return, Duncan said.

Duncan said Valentin said she and Sheridan were smoking crack and he become violent, had the knife and was attacking. She said the killing was "in the heat of this particular moment."

Page, addressing the Sheridan family, said, "You're brother was not a bad person. He was just a person who was addicted."

Page told Valentin she didn't doubt she suffered addiction and said, "I just hope you can heal at some point."

The Holyoke city clerk is estimating a voter turnout on Election Day of 43 percent.

Updated at 5:21 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 to correct that School Committee member John G. Whelihan and acting City Treasurer Sandra A. Smith are not considered incumbents, City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee said.

HOLYOKE -- Voters on Election Day Tuesday will choose a mayor and city treasurer along with members of the City Council and School Committee in addition to deciding five ballot questions.

Topping the ballot is a choice between the "We are building a legacy" of two-term incumbent Mayor Alex B. Morse and the "New direction" of mayoral candidate Fran O'Connell as they compete to lead this city of about 40,000 people.

At the most recent campaign finance report deadline, Morse began with a balance of $37,162, received $40,450 from dozens of individual contributors, spent $33,249 and had a balance of $44,362. He had zero liabilities.

Morse's report was for Sept. 5 to Oct. 16.

O'Connell began with a balance of $28,983. He received $60,575, including $40,000 from himself on Oct. 21, and additional funds from dozens of contributors, spent $66,913 and had a balance of $22,644. He had liabilities of $117,772.

O'Connell's report for Sept. 15 to Oct. 26.

Both candidates filed their spending reports Oct. 26.

(See below for more on the race for mayor.)

Polls will be open in the 14 voting precincts Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee said she expects a turnout of 43 percent of the city's 24,753 registered voters.

The preliminary election Sept. 22, when Morse finished first and O'Connell second, drew 25 percent of the voters.

Here is the ballot voters will face. The "i," added by The Republican and MassLive.com, designates incumbents. Jemma B. Penberthy has withdrawn as a candidate for City Council at large but that occurred after ballots had been printed:

Mayor:
1. Francis P. O'Connell
2. Alex B. Morse (i)

Treasurer:
1. Joshua A. Garcia
2. Sandra A. Smith

City Councilor At-Large:
1. Peter R. Tallman (i)
2. Daniel B. Bresnahan (i)
3. Michael J. Sullivan
4. Joseph M. McGiverin (i)
5. James M. Leahy (i)
6. Jennifer E. Chateauneuf (i)
7. Jordan M. Lemieux
8. Mimi Panich
9. Mike Franco
10. Darlene Elias
11. Anne N. Thalheimer
12. Howard B. Greaney Jr. (i)
13. Rebecca Lisi (i)
14. Adrian K. Dahlin
15. James F. Brunault
16. Jemma B. Penberthy

Ward One City Councilor:
1. Dr. Juan Cruz
2. Gladys Lebron-Martinez (i)

Ward Two City Councilor:
1. Nelson R. Roman
2. Jonathan Moquin

Ward Three City Councilor:
1. Bruce F. Mitchell
2. David K. Bartley (i)

Ward Four City Councilor:
1. Kurt M. Bordas
2. Jossie M. Valentin (i)

Ward Five City Councilor:
1. Christine G. Burns
2. Linda Vacon (i)

Ward Six City Councilor:
1. Kevin A. Jourdain
2. Juan C. Anderson-Burgos

Ward Seven City Councilor:
1. Jon D. Lumbra
2. Todd A. McGee

School Committee At-Large:
1. John G. Whelihan
2. Erin B. Brunelle

School Committee Ward One:
1. John C. Pietrzykowski Sr.
2. Mildred I. Lefebvre (i)

School Committee Ward Six:
1. Sadie C. Cora
2. William R. Collamore (i)

School Committee Ward Seven:
1. Dorothy R. Albrecht
2. Nyles L. Courchesne

Whelihan and Smith currently are occupying the seats for which they are up for election, but they are not considered incumbents because they were appointed instead of having been elected, Murphy McGee said.

A joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee appointed Whelihan to fill a vacancy on the School Committee in February 2014. Morse appointed Smith acting treasurer after Lumbra resigned as city treasurer in February of this year.

Murphy McGee said she will recuse herself from involvement in the Ward 7 City Council race given that her husband, Todd A. McGee, is a candidate for that seat. Other city clerk staff will handle that race.

Murphy McGee will oversee all of the other races and questions on the election ballot, she said.

Todd McGee since January 2006 has been the councilor for Ward 6. But he announced Dec. 2 he would complete the current term in December and not seek another because he was moving his growing family to a larger home in Ward 7.

The McGees moved to 10 George St. in Ward 7 shortly before Brenna Murphy McGee gave birth to the couple's second child. After incumbent Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander announced Jan. 5 he wouldn't run for reelection, McGee spoke with Alexander, consulted advisers and told The Republican and MassLive.com May 7 he would be a candidate for the Ward 7 seat.

Alexander endorsed McGee at his formal announcement May 14.

McGee is competing against Lumbra for the Ward 7 seat.

Jourdain, a councilor at large for all of his 22 years on the board, made an announcement a week after McGee's in December that he instead would run for the Ward 6 seat in this election.

Competing against Jourdain, who is the council president, is Juan Anderson-Burgos, a banker at Citizens Bank.

The ballot includes five questions. The first four are binding, meaning that if they are approved, changes they describe would take effect with the 2017 municipal election. The fifth question is advisory.

For an explanation of the arguments for and against the ballot questions, go to: Holyoke voters to face 5 ballot questions on government changes

Here are the questions:

1. Should the City Council be reduced to 13 members -- consisting of seven by ward and six at large -- from the current format of 15, with seven ward and eight at large?

2. Should the mayor's term be increased to four years from the current two years?

3. Should the terms of city councilors be increased to four years from the current two years?

4. Should the city treasurer be changed from an elected to an appointed position?

5. (Nonbinding) Should the city switch from a mayor to city manager?

Morse, 26, and O'Connell, 56, have clashed on numerous issues, from public safety and education to how to deal with abandoned buildings and the sewer fund deficit.

In September, The Republican and MassLive.com ran a series with the candidates discussing positions on nine issues:

Public safety

Education

Trust

Jobs

Abandoned buildings

Lyman Terrace

Community Preservation Act

Property taxes

Ballot questions

Morse (economy, long-term vision, Morse-Egan separation agreement) and O'Connell (economy, how being a nurse resocialized him, controversial comments) also each discussed a range of issues in separate meetings with The Republican editorial board:

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse says improvements tangible as he aims at long incumbency

Holyoke mayoral candidate Fran O'Connell says he is 'very different candidate,' with leadership, management skills

Morse's major expenses between Sept. 5 and Oct. 16 included $5,000 to Blue Front Telecom Group of Boston for robo campaign calls; $5,000 to Connection Strategies of Chicago, Illinois for polling research; $4,543 to Connoly Printing for campaign mailers; and $2,005 to Kate Froehlich of Ludlow for campaign fundraising.

O'Connell's major expenses between Sept. 15 and Oct. 26 included $51,890 to Market Mentors public relations firm of West Springfield; $21,981 to WWLP-TV, Channel 22 for advertisements; $14,649 to WGGB abc40 for ads; $2,500 to DAPA Research of Lynnfield for survey and tracking fees; and $2,000 to Dori Dean of Holyoke for campaign services.

The Morse campaign website is at morseformayor.com.

The O'Connell campaign website is at FranOConnellForMayor.com.

Springfield Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said he believes marijuana can have an equitable effect on driving to alcohol. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - A Supreme Judicial Court ruling said that an officer who pulls over a driver after detecting marijuana smoke is violating the state constitution, leaving unanswered the question of whether such drivers pose a threat.

A 5-2 vote by the state's high court in September overturned a New Bedford district court decision that allowed police to pull a vehicle over solely because an officer detected marijuana smoke wafting from it.

The seven-justice panel ruled "such stops are unreasonable; therefore, the stop in this case violated" the Massachusetts Constitution, the order states.

The decision homed in on the 2008 initiative petition that changed state law on criminal possession of marijuana. The change decriminalized possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, making it a civil infraction instead of a crime.

While local police departments adjust to the change, the debate over whether or how much marijuana use truly impairs drivers is ongoing.

Springfield Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said he believes marijuana can have an equitable effect on driving to alcohol.

"I've pulled over many drivers in my career who were high on marijuana exhibiting the same behaviors as a drunk driver. It absolutely impairs driving," Delaney said recently, adding that he and the police force are aware of the SJC decision and intend to abide by it.

"I've seen a lot of changes in the law over my career, and we learn and adapt," he said. "So we will treat suspicion of impaired driving the same: we'll look for crossing marked lanes; running stop signs and the other classic signs of impaired driving."

Drivers suspected of high driving versus drunken driving can be subject to the same sobriety test, but there is no breath test equivalent for testing for levels of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, Delaney said.

A study released in June by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Office on National Drug Control Policy, and federal safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found pot smoking had an effect on driving skills, but not as much as drinking alcohol.

However, depending how much a driver smoked, his peripheral vision could be reduced and his weaving within a lane increased, according to a CNN report on the study which admitted the issue remains "elusive."

Mixing alcohol and marijuana presented a real danger, with "drivers using both substances weaved within lanes even if their blood THC and alcohol concentrations were below the impairment thresholds for each substance alone," CNN reported.

The tide seems to be turning on marijuana use, with the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana legalized in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon. Cities in Maine and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug for both purposes although Congress has barred commercial sales.

Twelve states including Massachusetts have sanctioned medical marijuana. New England Treatment Access, the only dispensary in Hampshire County, opened in late September.

Massachusetts voters authorized the dispensaries on a 2012 ballot question, but the 118 Conz St. facility in Northampton was only the third in the state to go online, following ones in Salem, in June, and Brockton, on Sept. 3.

For its part, the SJC ruled: "We have determined that the people's intent in decriminalizing possession of this small quantity of marijuana was to establish that this offense was no longer 'a serious infraction worthy of criminal sanction,' and that those who commit this offense should be treated differently from other drug offenders."
 

Miguel Roldan-Castro is challenging 12-year incumbent Frederick Krampits in the race.

CHICOPEE - A city volunteer who has operated behind-the-scenes campaigns is challenging a long-term City Councilor for the Ward 5 seat in Tuesday's election.

Miguel Roldan-Castro Sr.,47, the regional district director for the Hispanic United of New England, will face off against Frederick T. Krampits, 51, a customer service engineer for Comark Communications and part-time chief engineer at WTCC 90.7FM at Springfield Technical Community College.

If elected to the City Council, Roldan-Castro said he would like to focus on helping children in different ways and would like to start a learn-to-skate program at the outdoor rink at Ike Alpert Field.

He said he would has plans to help boost the local economy.

"I want to design a map with each business on it," he said. "It would be a resource map people could have in the house."

Roldan-Castro, of Fernhill Street, said he is a member of the city's commission for the disabled and said he would want to take that knowledge to help people make modifications to homes and businesses to help for disabled residents. He is also a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Roldan-Castro said he has been involved in behind-the-scenes work on a number of local and statewide campaigns and decided to run after supporters asked him to consider it.

Krampits, of East Street, who has served as the ward councilor since 2003, said he will continue to focus of solving large and small problems that impact residents' quality of live.

"I want to continue helping the residents with issues," he said.

One of his focus in the ward in the last few years has been to help residents who have been dealing with problems created by construction brought by the sewer and storm drain separation projects in his ward.

"I want to continue with road and sidewalk improvements," he said. "There are a number of roads outside the sewer separation project that need work."

Krampits said he also wants to see improvements made to Ike Alpert Field.

"I will continue to work with police and fire on public safety issues," he said.

Incumbent Ward 6 Councilor Timothy S. McLellan is being challenged by David Amo for the fourth time.

CHICOPEE - The Ward 6 City Council race looks an awful lot like the Ward 6 Council election two years ago.

And it's pretty much the same as the race in 2011 and the race in 2009.

For the fourth election in a row, David Amo is challenging incumbent Councilor Timothy S. McLellan for the seat.

Amo, 51, of Fairway Drive, who works in auto parts inventory, said he still wants a chance to make changes in his ward.

"I think there are a lot of concerns in Ward 6," he said.

If elected, Amo said he has three issues he would focus on to try to improve the ward.

His top issue is overseeing the changes that are being made to the Pride truck stop on Burnett Road. "A lot of residents are opposed to the expansion," he said.

Amo said he also plans to continue the eight-year fight to try to keep the Palmer Renewable biomass wood burning plant out of East Springfield, following a state court ruling that reinstated its building permits.

"Our residents need a vocal voice on this," he said, adding parts of the ward will be affected by the emissions the plant will release if it is built.

His third main concern is preparing for the building of the MGM Springfield casino. Many people will reach the casino by exiting the Mass Turnpike at the intersection of Interstate 291, which leads to Ward 6. Amo said he would fight to make sure any traffic impacts are dealt with.

However, McLellan, who said he spent more than a year negotiating improvements for the station, argued the Pride station is only being renovated to fix problems. It is not being expanded.

"I think I do a good job and there are projects I want to see completed that I have been working on for years," McLellan said.

A counselor clerk for the Veterans Administration in Northampton and a disabled veteran, McLellan, 49, of Robak Drive, is running for his fifth term as the Ward City Councilor.

He said he will continue to ensure vacant Navy housing near Westover Air Reserve Base will be torn down and a city project to build a solar field on the property will be completed.

"I fought hard to keep out developers who wanted to turn it into housing," because neighbors opposed the plan, McLellan said.

McLellan said he will also continue to battle to keep the proposed biomass plant out of Springfield.

He said he will also continue his eight-year battle to try to add a traffic light and to make other improvements on Burnett Road.

The state currently has 25 drug courts, but there are none in Hampden County.

When Palmer District Court Judge Laurie MacLeod sees defendants with drug problems, she has little opportunity to send them to treatment, instead of prison. While there are 25 drug courts in Massachusetts, where addicts are steered toward services rather than incarceration, there are none in Hampden County.

"I couldn't cross county lines. I couldn't say because you need a drug court, I'm going to send you to the one in Orange," MacLeod said. "There's treatment out there. It's not readily accessible to a lot of the people in the Hampden County community."

As the entire state confronts a growing epidemic of opioid abuse, drug courts are increasingly seen as a tool to steer addicts into treatment while also reducing incarceration rates for people convicted of non-violent drug crimes.

The state currently has 22 adult drug courts and three juvenile drug courts. In drug courts, defendants with drug addiction are sentenced to heavily supervised probation, where they are required to attend treatment, get drug tested and accept other relevant services such as counseling. A report by Gov. Charlie Baker's task force on opioid addiction recommended increasing the capacity of drug and other specialty courts.

Currently, the two drug courts in Western Massachusetts are in Greenfield and Orange, both in Franklin County. There are none in Hampden County, which in 2014 had 59 unintentional opioid overdose deaths, ranking eighth highest of the state's 14 counties.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gullini, who did not return calls for this story, has expressed interest in starting a Hampden County drug court.

The idea "is really just in its embryonic stages," said Thomas Kenefick, past president of the Hampden County Bar Association and a Springfield-based trial lawyer.

Kenefick said the bar association and others are starting to explore how drug courts have been used in other parts of the state and whether a Hampden County drug court would be feasible.

Kenefick said with drug problems affecting all regions, demographics and socioeconomic classes, "You've got to think out of the box and think of better ways to deal with some of these problems."

Drug addiction, Kenefick said, "seems to touch every area of criminal law."

The idea is attracting interest.

Christina Turgeon, a Springfield lawyer and immediate past president of the Hampden County Bar Association, said she is not sure whether the courts are set up to handle a drug court. She noted that Hampden County already has a specialized mental health court and gun court. But down the road, she said, she thinks a specialty drug court "is not a bad idea."

Turgeon said if a drug court were to provide treatment instead of incarceration to non-violent drug offenders, it would help both the offenders and the community, lessening overcrowding in jails by saving jail cells for violent criminals.

State Rep. John Velis, D-Westfield, a member of the Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary, called a Hampden County drug court "something I think we desperately need."

"It's something I'm going to continue to pound the table for," Velis said.

Velis said Western Massachusetts is as affected as the rest of the state when it comes to drug overdoses. "Why is it okay for other parts of the state to get it, and here in Western Massachusetts we don't have it yet?" Velis said. "It's long overdue."

Indumbent Adam D. Lamontagne is being challenged by past City Councilor Dino A. Brunetti.

CHICOPEE - Two years ago a School Committee member unseated a long-term city councilor in a close race in Ward 1. Now that former councilor is hoping to win back the seat.

The Ward 1 race this year has two-year incumbent Adam D. Lamontagne running for re-election against Dino A. Brunetti, who served as a councilor in the ward from 2003 to 2013.

Brunetti, 59, a Verizon technician, said he feels his opponent has alienated businesses and doesn't work well with other City Councilors, as evidenced by the fact that he is often the lone dissenting vote on issues.

"He keeps saying we are going to make Ward 1, number one. There isn't competition between wards," Brunetti said, adding councilors usually work together for the good of the city and help each other out if one has a problem in a ward.

But Lamontagne, 29, a long-term substitute teacher for Westfield schools, has said he is not afraid to take a stand and vote for something he believes in, even if it goes against the majority of the board.

Lamontagne, of Montclair Drive, disagreed that he has alienated businesses. In fact he said he wants to focus next term on trying to promote businesses, especially those in Chicopee Center.

"I want to promote economic development and promote that small business corridor," he said.

He said he will also continue to work to ensure road construction is completed properly, especially on Dale Street, which has been delayed mainly because contractors were trying to correct drainage problems that cause the street to ice over more frequently.
He said he also wants to see more roads accepted to boost the state grant funding for highway improvements.

"I enjoy working on behalf of everyone in Ward 1 and proving 24-7 constituent services and making a lot of positive improvements," he said.

If elected, Brunetti said he wants to ensure there is enough funding for the Fire Department to keep the Aldenville Fire Station open as often as possible and he wants to replace one of the aging fire trucks.

"The biggest thing right now is dealing with the (closing) dump," he said. "We are spoiled because we can put anything on the curb."

Brunetti, of Parenteau Drive, said he supported creating the single-stream recycling and he would support a plan, that the City Council voted against previously, to give residents wheeled trash barrels as well to make refuse collection more efficient.

He said he will also work to try to reduce, or at least prevent increases of the soaring sewer bills and keep the about $10 million stabilization account well-funded.

Stanley Walczak, retired Parks and Recreation superintendent, is challenging incumbent Gerry Roy for the position.

CHICOPEE - In the Ward 9 City Council election this year, the city's former Parks and Recreation superintendent will face off against the two-term incumbent.

Stanley Walczak, 68, who retired in 2013 after serving as the head of the Parks Department for 19 years, is challenging incumbent Gerard J. Roy, better known as Gerry, for the seat. Walczak also unsucessfully ran against Roy two years ago for the seat.

"I want a safe and clean ward," Walczak said. "I want to make sure the ward is moving in the right direction."

Since he is retired, Walczak pledged to be a full-time councilor and said he wants to talk face-to-face to people who have an issue in the ward.

"To be a good leader you have to be a good listener," he said.

Communication with residents is key and Walczak, of Lariviere Drive, said he will focus on listening and working with residents of the city if elected.

"I think our ward has been lacking voice in the last year. He (Roy) missed a lot of meetings and there are a number of issues he hasn't attended to," Walczak said.

But Roy, 52, of Devlin Drive, disagrees with that. He said a business problem forced him to be absent from a few meetings but his attendance rate is still 92 percent.

In addition he said he has returned every single phone call and email he has received from constituents.

A real estate broker and owner of Royal Real Estate, Roy is the head of the Council's License Committee and because of that he is at City Hall nearly every day working on issues to help businesses who operate under a city license.

His experience as a small business owner he said helps him in that role and he would like to expand the number of businesses in the Fairview section.

In addition he said he continues to want to work with Westover Job Corps, which has had some problems with neighbors that are being resolved.

"In the next year I would like to get Westover kids involved in the community," he said.
Roy said he knows there are residents, such as disabled veterans and the elderly, who sometimes need help keeping up their homes and he hopes students could give them that assistance.

"I have work to do dealing with issues like the Job Corps and seeing the solar park built," he said.

The City Council has approved funding that will supplement a grant to tear down vacant military housing next to Westover Air Reserve Base and use the property for a solar farm.

The election is Nov. 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A bystander brought the shooting victim to the hospital.

GREENFIELD — Police are investigating a shooting that sent one man to the hospital Saturday night.

On their Facebook page police said dispatch received a call of a man shot in the area of Main Street at the intersection of Chapman Street. When officers arrived they learned that an 18-year-old Springfield man was reported to be shot in the leg.

Police said a bystander transported the victim to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in a private vehicle. The victim was later transported to Baystate Trauma Center in Springfield for further treatment.

The incident occurred just before midnight on Oct. 31. Main Street by Chapman Street was closed for investigation for approximately two hours, police said.

The incident is still under investigation by Greenfield Police and the Massachusetts State Police crime scene services. No other information is being released at this time.

Springfield Police later made one arrest at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield when family and friends of the victim became disruptive while they were in the waiting room.

William Courchesne is challenging George Moreau for the Ward 7 seat for the third time.

CHICOPEE - The Ward 7 City Council election will be a rematch of the race in 2013 and the race in 2011.

William Courchesne, of Charpentier Boulevard, is challenging long-term incumbent George R. Moreau, of Narragansett Boulevard, the long-term City Council president.

This will be the third time Courchesne has challenged Moreau. Previously Moreau has kept his seat by a close margin.

"I'm looking to improve the neighborhood where I live," Courchesne said. "I want to improve the lives of our neighbors."

A retail manager who also works as a sheriff's constable and runs TIPS and Serve Safe classes, Courchesne said he wants to look at cost-saving methods to reduce the size of the budget, including placing solar panels on school roofs.

"What are we really doing to truly reduce the taxes in the city?" he said.

When he served on the Parks and Recreation Commission, Courchesne said he started the process to add playground equipment to Nash Park with grant funding. If elected he said he would continue to fight for improvements to the park.

Moreau, who retired from Westvaco, has served on the City Council since 1986 and was previously a School Committee member. He has served as City Council president for the past four years.

"During my tenure as councilor, I have been in the forefront of working with the mayor and councilors to keep taxes as low as possible while providing the necessary services to people," he said.

Over his long tenure, Moreau said he is proud of supporting the construction new Chicopee and Comprehensive High Schools and more recently the renovation of the former Chicopee that converted it to the new 1st Sgt. Kevin A. Dupont Middle School.