Springfield Mayor Sarno tries to fend off a challenge from City Councilor President Jose Tosado.

Seven races for mayor will dominate Election Day ballots in Western Massachusetts Tuesday, including lively targeting of incumbents in Springfield and Holyoke.

Voters in cities and towns also will get a slate of City Council and School Committee competitions.

A ballot question in Holyoke will ask voters to establish a new city charter, while voters in Northampton will consider whether to rescind or retain the Community Preservation Act.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in most communities.

Springfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said Friday that voters have no excuse to skip the election. It features a two-term incumbent mayor, the first Latino candidate for that office and a newly expanded four-year term for mayor.

Oyola estimated voter turnout at 30 percent.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno faces a challenge from City Council President Jose F. Tosado, who was the first Latino elected to the council and now the first Latino on the ballot for mayor.

Sarno announced Monday he was suspending his campaign due to last weekend’s major snowstorm and massive power outages.

“The election is the last thing on my mind,” Sarno said Friday. “My complete concentration has been on this storm recovery.”

Tosado said he would continue campaigning. He questioned why Sarno was too busy and withdrew from three debates. He also said Sarno was “ill-prepared” for the Oct. 29 snowstorm.

“I feel like I am a strong, competitive candidate,” Tosado said. “I’m talking to the people, trying to get my message out.”

Sarno has defended his efforts to confront violent crime, improve education and manage city finances in difficult times. Tosado has criticized Sarno’s record and said he had strategies to address crime, finance and other issues.

The election will also feature a 10-candidate race for five at-large seats on the City Council, a Ward 8 council contest, and two newly announced sticker candidates for council in Wards 1 and 6.

The U.S. Department of Justice will post four monitors in Springfield on Election Day. The step was requested by Ward 1 Councilor Zaida Luna and civil rights organizations because they said voting irregularities occurred in the Sept. 20 preliminary election.

Problems included inadequate help to Spanish-speaking voters and provisional ballots not being offered to voters when problems arose, they said.

Oyola said the allegations were exaggerated and false in some cases, but said she will work closely with the monitors.

In Holyoke, Mayor Elaine A. Pluta is fighting to keep her seat in the face of a strong challenge from newcomer Alex B. Morse, who defeated her in the Sept. 20 preliminary election. Two other candidates were eliminated in that election.

The Holyoke candidates offer a display of disparities. Pluta is 67, in her first term as mayor and was on the City Council for 14 years before she became the city’s first female mayor in 2009.

Morse is 22, never held elected office and was laid off as a career counselor from CareerPoint in the summer.

Pluta favors the city having a casino resort, Morse opposes that.

Morse will vote yes on the charter question while Pluta will vote no.

Morse, a Brown University graduate, has ignited many voters with an enthusiasm and positive outlook, along with specific ideas about improving economic development, education and the city’s image.

Pluta, a Mount Holyoke College graduate, offers a resume led by management of the city’s $120 million budget. The biggest budget Morse said he ever managed was $25,000 at CareerPoint.

Pluta said, “My thoughts will be that voters will really look at the records of both candidates and really notice that there is a clear difference between us and pay attention to my record with the city, not just in the past two years, but as a city councilor for 14 years.”

“I’ve done some really great things for the city, like being a champion of the neighborhoods, and, of course, the budget, which is important,” Pluta said

Morse said voters have a chance to change the face of city politics.

“It’s about moving forward, not backward, and not standing still. This election is about focusing on what’s right with Holyoke, not dwelling on what’s wrong. It’s about honoring the generations who came before us and ensuring opportunity for those who will come after,” Morse said.

Approval of Holyoke’s ballot question would replace the 115-year-old city charter, which details the form of government, with one that keeps the framework but with modernizations.

Holyoke also has City Council and School Committee races.

In Northampton, two candidates who have been City Council president are vying to become the first new elected mayor in 12 years.

Michael R. Bardsley served eight terms as Northampton City Council president during his years as an at large and Ward 4 representative.

David J. Narkewicz is currently the acting mayor by virtue of being council president when former Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins left for a job with a Franklin County human services agency.

Bardsley portrays himself as the political outsider who represents the disenfranchised who have gone unheeded by City Hall. He had characterized Narkewicz as Higgins’ anointed successor, put in place as acting mayor to give him an edge in the election.

Narkewicz defends himself from those charges when they are brought up at debates but focuses otherwise on issues such as economic development. He has positioned himself as the candidate who looks to the future rather than at the past.

Because of the wording of the ballot question, a “yes” vote would rescind Northampton’s adoption of the Community Preservation Act and a “no” vote would retain it. The act lets municipalities levy a surcharge on property taxes to fund conservation, recreation, affordable housing and historic preservation projects.

In Easthampton, 15-year incumbent Mayor Michael A. Tautznik is up against retired police captain Donald C. Emerson, a former town meeting representative.

Emerson retired a year ago after 41 years when Tautznik didn’t renew his contract, but Emerson said he isn’t running for revenge.

Tautznik, 58, calls the city a “$34 million municipal corporation” and said Emerson’s lack of government experience disqualifies him to be mayor.

Emerson, 64, argues his seat on the board of directors of Freedom Credit Union gives him the know-how to handle city finances.

In Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette is running for an eighth term against Gary R. Lefebvre, a political newcomer who owns a small restaurant on Chicopee Street.

Bissonnette said he would consider allowing a casino in Chicopee while Lefebvre said he is opposed to the city getting a casino.

Bissonnette favors increasing the mayor’s term from two years to four. Lefebvre said he likes the existing term because it gives voters more control.

Chicopee also has contests for city clerk, City Council and School Committee.

In West Springfield, Mayor Edward J. Gibson announced in April he wouldn’t seek a sixth term. The contest for mayor is between Town Councilor Gerard B. Matthews, a lawyer, and architect Gregory C. Neffinger.

West Springfield’s ballot also has races for Town Council and School Committee.

In Agawam, Mayor Richard A. Cohen is trying to fend off a challenge by former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin. Both are very experienced and well-known politicians.

Agawam voters will also get to pick 11 city councilors from a field of 18 candidates.

In Westfield, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is unchallenged for a second term.

Westfield voters will elect seven council at-large members from a field of 11 candidates that includes six incumbents.

Westfield Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe, the only ward councilor facing a challenge, is opposed by school volunteer Kevin P. Medeiros. He is the brother of the late Charles W. Medeiros, a councilor for more than 30 years.

In South Hadley, voters will cast ballots on a single issue: whether to agree on a debt exclusion, or temporary tax increase, to pay for a new library. No amount is specified on the ballot. But officials have said the proposed library would cost $10.1 million.

Reporters Fred Contrada, Brian Steele, Ted LaBorde, Jeanette Deforge, Peter Goonan, Pat Cahill and Sandra Constantine contributed to this story.

Smartphones, tablet computers and social media played a critical role in keeping residents informed during the storm's aftermath.

The Republican | Greg SaulmonMany area residents relied on smartphones and other mobile devices to find information about recovery efforts in their communities.

In the wake of an unprecedented October snowstorm that plunged the region into darkness last weekend, Western Massachusetts residents turned to their municipal officials to shed light on recovery efforts.

Results varied.

Communities that were most successful in relaying information took advantage of two important trends in technology: the popularity of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, and the high degree of interactivity offered by social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Mobile devices allowed residents who’d lost both power and cable or phone-line based Internet connections to access information during the outage. Citizens charged the devices in their cars, or at “charging stations” many cities and towns established during the week.

Social networks created a two-way flow of information between residents and municipal officials. Mayors and public utilities could issue statements, but residents could also ask questions and help to direct the emergency response.

Westfield Gas & Electric’s Facebook page blossomed from a following of around 500 “likes” on the morning after the storm to over 3,000 by Thursday night as droves of residents chose to follow the utility’s updates.

Over the course of the week, the utility posted real-time power restoration information to Facebook. Its full website, meanwhile, carried summaries of where crews had been and where they’d be.

Those postings on behalf of the utility often struck a conversational tone, offering a human dimension to the massive infrastructure effort. “Shaker Village Condos...you should have lights!” read one Thursday update.

Information about power restoration to specific streets turned out to be critical for residents who’d left town and were trying to decide whether to spend another night in a shelter or pay for an extra day in a hotel.

Mayor Daniel Knapik relayed the utility’s updates on his own Facebook page, where he also offered information about school closings, plans for the removal of storm debris and more. He also used the medium to relay messages from residents to the utility.

“Mayor, Crown Street is incorrectly marked as in full when the dead end side of Crown is still without power,” one resident wrote in response to a power restoration report which Knapik posted Thursday.

Within minutes, the mayor replied: “I have put an inquiry in for you.”

In Chicopee, Mayor Michael Bissonnette stressed the importance of interactivity in delivering information to – and receiving information from – the residents of his city.

Using social networking is nothing new for Bissonnette; he began relying on Facebook during a snowstorm that hit the region two years ago.

“I realized just how helpful it can be because you’re getting information in real time. It was incredibly useful this past week,” Bissonnette said on Thursday.

In the aftermath of this week’s storm, residents used the social network to report trees down and power lines obstructing roadways, which, in turn, allowed the city to be more responsive in its cleanup efforts.

Chicopee Electric Light superintendent Jeff Cady stayed in near-constant contact with the mayor via text message, which gave Bissonnette the means to easily update his Facebook community on power restoration efforts.

Bissonnette also took an “any means necessary” – or, rather, “any device necessary” – approach in posting his Facebook updates. He used either a laptop or tablet computer, a smartphone and the desktop computer in his office, depending on where he was at any given moment.

In an emergency situation, even those on the other side of the digital divide can benefit from how a city or town uses technology to spread information. It’s a short leap from a social network to word-of-mouth.

Early Monday morning, Agawam resident Cecilia Calabrese awoke to find the thermostat in her home reading 52 degrees. Realizing that sleep wouldn’t return, she used her smartphone to post to Mayor Richard Cohen’s Facebook wall.

“Can you post updates via your Facebook page? Many without power also are without phones but may be able to access updates using smart phones,” she wrote.

In a telephone interview on Friday, Calabrese -- a former city councilor who is campaigning to return to the council -- said she made the request after seeing how the Chicopee and Westfield mayors were offering updates to their citizenry.

While Agawam had been issuing automated “robo-calls“ to residents, Calabrese said, the calls were missing residents whose telephone land lines were out and who hadn’t signed up for the Connect-CTY service prior to the storm. Moreover, Calabrese said, she heard from a friend who is hearing-impaired: while the calls were coming through, the woman couldn’t understand them.

More than 24 hours after her first message to the mayor, Calabrese wrote again: “I’ll post updates here as I get them.” For the remainder of the week, Calabrese posted observations about work crew sightings and power restoration based on her drives around town and contact with neighbors.

“Even if it’s bad news, people would rather hear bad news than no news,“ Calabrese said.

Cohen told a reporter from The Republican mid-week that the storm had knocked out servers that allow updates to his city’s website, and that with power back on, information would be added to both the municipal website and to Facebook.

The Facebook updates never came, and the initial information posted to Agawam’s website on Wednesday included only links to the Western Massachusetts Electric Co. outage map and to the website of the Agawam Office of Emergency Management.

Even by Friday morning, though, the Agawam emergency management website carried no information about the storm. A visitor seeking to offer feedback by clicking on a link labeled “Comments” received only a page bearing an error message: “THIS SERVICE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO A SPAM ISSUE.”

The website of Southwick’s Emergency Management Agency languished for much of the week as well.

The home page of Southwick’s municipal website carried a link to information about a warming center at Town Hall, an offer of bottled water to residents who rely on wells, and eventually a list of streets where power had been restored. But, those updates were lost on anyone who attempted to find information through the emergency management agency’s website, where a red banner proclaimed “Click here for Updated Emergency Management Information.” Until late Thursday afternoon – a full five days after the snow began to fall – the link brought users to a warning about Hurricane Irene; it was updated Thursday night.

Back in Westfield, resident Rob Porter said he’d already seen the June tornado savage his neighborhood in the city’s Shaker Heights neighborhood. Then, the October snow knocked out power to his home for five days. His lights flickered back on at around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Later that night, he went online and posted a simple assessment to Mayor Knapik’s Facebook page: “I think social media has been great for this city.”

Further reading: An interview with a Springfield resident about the city's communication with residents in the wake of the storm.

The return to standard time means that it's time to set clocks back an hour. Remember, it's fall back, spring forward.

Associated PressDan LaMoore of Electric Time Company installs the spike on top of a post clock bound for South Jordan, Utah, at their plant in Medfield, Mass. Daylight saving time ends on at 2 a.m. Sunday, when clocks will be set back one hour. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Just what everyone in Massachusetts still without power after last weekend's nor'easter needed – less daylight.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday.

Granted there'll be the same amount of daylight, minus the minute or two lost daily as the Northern Hemisphere tilts further from the sun heading toward the winter solstice, but daylight saving time, which ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, results in less daylight at the end of the day.

The return to standard time means that it's time to set clocks back an hour. Remember, it's fall back, spring forward.

Not to rub it in to New Englanders' plight, but, for the record, Hawaii, most of Arizona and some U.S. territories will not make the change because daylight saving time is not used.

Start the countdown to spring: Plan to turn the clocks ahead on March 11, 2012 – daylight saving time resumes the second Sunday in March.

Stipends are $5,000 a year each for School Committee members.

HOLYOKE – Voters will have an at large School Committee seat to decide on Tuesday, although the incumbent is unopposed, along with three contested ward seats.

The School Committee has 10 members, representing the seven wards, two at large and the mayor as chairman.

Each committee member is paid $5,000 a year.

The at large members have staggered, four-year terms. At large member Howard B. Greaney Jr., of 351 Hillside Ave., has no opponent on the ballot.

Committee member at large Michael J. Moriarty has two years left on his term.

Incumbent Ward 1 member Gladys Lebron-Martinez is vacating the seat to run for Ward 1 City Council.

The Ward 1 School Committee candidates are Joshua A. Garcia, of 76 North East St., who works at the Holyoke Housing Authority, and John C. Pietrzykowski, of 28 North Bridge St., a former School Committee member.

Ward 2 School Committee member Yvonne S. Garcia is unopposed, but was forced to mount a campaign urging that voters write in her name on the ballot. That’s because she failed to submit enough signatures of registered voters from the ward to qualify to put her name on the ballot.

Ward 5 committee member Devin M. Sheehan, of 25 Breton Lane, faces a challenge from Reynaldo Martinez Jr., of 14 Sterling Road.

Ward 6 committee member William R. Collamore, of 36 Belvidere Ave., is opposed by Jaime Cotto, of 6 Shawmut Ave.

Ward 3 committee member Dennis W. Birks Jr., of 18 West Glen St., Ward 4 member Cesar A. Lopez, of 189 Pine St., and Ward 7 member Margaret M. Boulais, of 501 Northampton St., are unopposed.

Committee duties include hiring the superintendent, helping to prepare the budget and voting on lunch vendors, employee retirements and surrendering school property.

The state Education Reform Law of 1993 sapped much of the power from school committees, such as giving staff hiring authority to the superintendent and building principals.

Police said a looter was arrested Oct. 30 - he stole $5,000 from area businesses in the midst of the blackout and snow storm.

EAST LONGMEADOW - A week after a nor’easter ravaged Western Massachusetts, Detective Sgt. Patrick T. Manley described the situation in East Longmeadow as “chaos.”

“There is no power in large areas of this community . . . Every night at midnight we’re told the lights are going to come on. The power fairy is going to turn the lights on. It turns out to be a bad joke,” Manley said.

National Grid is reporting that 2,075 of East Longmeadow’s 6,569 customers remain without power, but should have it back by Sunday night at 11:59 p.m.

Meanwhile, the shelter has been moved from the junior high school to the Senior Center, to prepare the schools for Monday, when they are supposed to reopen. However, Manley said there are still areas of town that have trees and wires in the road, including Dearborn Street.

Police Chief Douglas W. Mellis said 12 residents stayed at the Senior Center on Friday night and that it is expected to remain open Saturday night. Mellis said more and more streets are getting electricity back.

Manley said police arrested a looter in the early morning hours on Oct. 30, in the midst of the blackout and snow storm. He said Floyd Cumby, 50, of 113 Denver St., Springfield, broke into three Shaker Road businesses, stealing $5,000, just after 2 a.m.

He said Cumby, who parked his car in a nearby lot, tried to run from police but was apprehended by Officer Daniel P. Manley behind the buildings near the rail trail. He left a trail of money as he ran from police.

Cumby allegedly broke into Fazio’s Pizza at 162 Shaker Road, Frigo’s Foods at 159 Shaker Road and the Greater Springfield Credit Union at 157 Shaker Road. The alarm at the credit union had a battery in it, which is why it went off when Cumby entered it, Manley said.

Manley said there was more snow on the ground when Cumby attempted to leave, which slowed his escape. Cumby was charged with three counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny from a building, attempted larceny from a building and possession of burglarious tools.

Cumby denied the charges in Palmer District Court on Monday, and was held in lieu of $25,000 bail, Manley said.

The charter is 115 years old and outlines the parts of government, such as the mayor and schools, and their duties.

File photo | The RepublicanHolyoke City Hall.

HOLYOKE – Supporters say a yes vote on a ballot question in Tuesday’s election to establish a new charter would provide things the city should have like finance and human resource departments.

Opponents say the proposal would make too many changes and give the mayor too much power.

Action on the question will be binding. The new charter would take effect with the 2013 election.

The charter is a document established in 1896 that outlines the parts of government, such as the mayor, public works and the schools, and their functions.

In November 2009, voters with a nearly 73 percent majority established a nine-member commission to review the 115-year-old charter.

The commission’s 51-page report is what voters will consider on Election Day.

The main changes in the proposed charter are:

• Increase the mayor’s term from two years to four.

• Reduce the City Council from a 15-member body of eight at large and seven ward councilors, to an 11-member board that keeps the ward members and cuts at large to four.

• Establish a centralized finance department.

• Establish a centralized human resources department.

• Make all department heads and commission members appointed by mayor with City Council confirmation.

• Increase citizen involvement such as steps to recall officials.

The School Committee would stay at 10 members, representing the seven wards, two at large and the mayor as chairman.

Holyoke Charter Commission Final Report May 2011

Despite its many parts, the question must be voted up or down as a whole.

Commission Chairman Carl Eger Jr. told The Republican editorial board Oct. 20 the new charter would establish accountability, efficiency and transparency in city government.

“I’m optimistic. It’s a realistic document and brings about the advantages that are so key to the city,” Eger said.

On Oct. 26, four question opponents met with The Republican editorial board: city councilors at large Kevin A. Jourdain, Joseph M. McGiverin and Brenna E. Murphy and City Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra.

McGiverin said having the mayor make all appointments, whereas the council now appoints the tax collector and assessors, makes the mayor too powerful.

“The removal of the checks and balances just takes this too far,” McGiverin said.

Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said she will vote no on the charter question. Mayoral candidate Alex B. Morse said he will vote yes.

Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill, who isn’t running for re-election, has established Holyoke Charter Yes, a committee urging passage.

According to National Grid’s website, approximately 2,000 customers out of 6,331 are without power in Palmer. The latest restoration estimate is for 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The Republican/Lori StabileDonna J. Mullen, a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, left, has been helping man the emergency shelter at Converse Middle School in Palmer. She's checking with Margaret Galipeau, 81, who has been staying at the shelter all week because she has no power in her apartment at Palmer Green Estates.

PALMER - Some of the town’s most fragile residents have been seeking shelter at Converse Middle School, which has been operating as the town’s emergency shelter since the snow started to fall during the Oct. 29 nor’easter.

The numbers have been dwindling, but there are still numerous residents of the Palmer Green Estates on Beacon Street, which includes housing for the elderly and disabled, staying at the school, on cots in the gymnasium.

Emergency Management Director Donald C. Elliott is overseeing the shelter, and Donna J. Mullen, a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, has been manning the shelter daily, with help from volunteers, including Venture Crew 164. Thirty people stayed there Friday night.

The shelter was bustling with activity on Saturday, a week after the devastating storm knocked out power throughout the region.

Mullen brought in games for people to play, and has forged a close relationship with some of the guests, and volunteers.

“She’s like my mom now,” said volunteer Nicole L. Peabody, 25.

Mullen was hugged by Doris McAdam, 83, and Margaret Galipeau, 81. They were sitting in a corner with their husbands and chatting, waiting for word on when they could return to their homes.

Doris McAdam and her husband, Donald, 88, came to the shelter on Thursday night because their carbon monoxide alarm was going off. The police brought them over. Donald McAdam said he is surprised that their housing has gone so long without power considering the number of elderly tenants there who use oxygen machines.

Margaret Galipeau and her husband George Galipeau, 83, had been there since Sunday. Margaret Galipeau said her daughter in Maine called the police, to have them brought to the shelter.

Margaret Galipeau said she loves staying at the shelter.

“They’re cooking for us. We have a place to sleep. Everything has been very, very good,” she said, adding she was grateful to Peabody for taking home their laundry and doing it for them.

“It’s kind of like a little family here,” Peabody said. “They know we’re here to help them.”

Mullen said an elderly woman was brought in by the police. She was so cold she was shivering. She said the woman initially didn’t want to stay, but made friends with some other women at the shelter, and they had a “sleepover.”

Catherine R. Barton, of Maple Street, played solitaire. Barton said she is tired, and hopes she can return home soon. Barton said she called National Grid and was told crews would be working in her area on Saturday morning. She brought her 85-year-old mother with her to the shelter because she said it was just too cold to stay home. Her mother slept as she played cards.

“We’ve been here since Tuesday afternoon,” Barton said.

According to National Grid’s website, approximately 2,000 customers out of 6,331 are without power in Palmer. The latest restoration estimate is for 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Elliott said the shelter will remain open as long as it is necessary, even though school is slated to reopen Monday. He said they are serving three meals a day, and have roast pork on the menu tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Sarno said just under 11,000 residents, or about 16 percent, are still without power in a frustrating number of pockets across Springfield including in the East Forest Park, Sixteen Acres, Pine Point, Hungry Hill and Trafton Road neighborhoods.

The Republican / Dave RobackChris Scott of Greenville Utilities, of Greenville, N.C., works on Russell Road in Westfield on Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD - Human nature continues to collide with Mother Nature.

Like many residents across the city, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno had dark circles under his eyes and a short temper as he held a post-storm update at the Raymond Sullivan Public Safety Complex early Saturday afternoon. He continued to blast officials from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. for an apparently slow response to the most sweeping and persistent power outage in history following the odd pre-Halloween snowstorm that briefly crippled the region.

Sarno said just under 11,000 residents, or about 16 percent, are still without power in a frustrating number of pockets across Springfield including in the East Forest Park, Sixteen Acres, Pine Point, Hungry Hill and Trafton Road neighborhoods. While the mayor said he understands it was a difficult storm to manage in the aftermath, he repeatedly denounced WMECO's efforts as "unacceptable."

"I can't get a map of the city to know where to send police, fire and first responders until after I called the president personally this morning? Unacceptable? They give us the wrong customer service line for customers in Connecticut? Unacceptable. Their 'robo-calls' are providing contradictory information about when people's power is going to be turned back on? Unacceptable," Sarno said.

An array of city officials including police, fire, health and human services, forestry and public works representatives attended Saturday's briefing and provided a grim but slowly improving picture for the city.

Daniel Warwick, assistant schools superintendent, said public schools in Springfield may not be open on Monday because of downed wires still snaking off city streets and "hangers," or potentially sinister tree limbs still dangling overhead.

In addition, Dorman School is without power. Warwick said city officials will survey each school and the surrounding area today and Sunday and provide Sarno with a recommendation by 1 p.m. tomorrow. Early signs are, however, it doesn't look good for schools opening their doors on Monday, he indicated.

"We want to err on the side of public safety and caution," Sarno said, with regard to buses, students who walk and faculty and staff who have to make their ways to work.

Parks Superintendent Patrick Sullivan said 20,000 cubic yards of debris are being swept from city streets and will be deposited at the the tornado-damaged Cathedral High School site. That location was cleared of tornado debris just three days before the snowstorm, Sullivan said.

Public Works Superintendent Alan Chwalek said the debris generated by the bizarre snow squall will be four times that of the June 1 tornadoes.

Sullivan said "Phase I" of the clean up includes pushing debris out of the way, which he claimed is largely complete though many city streets show otherwise; "Phase II" is underway with moving it toward the tree belts and "Phase III" will begin mid-week when the debris will begin to get hauled away by bucket trucks and other heavy equipment.

Chwalek said the clean-up will likely be a four- to six-week process.

Police Lt. John Lynch said calls are up due to the storm but patrols are doing their best to keep up and are doing door-to-door well-being checks in affected areas when possible. Police also are keeping their eyes out for suspicious motorists trolling neighborhoods who may have plans for looting or robbing generators.

Fire officials said carbon monoxide related calls are down, but residents still should use caution with alternative heating sources and should not use gas grills indoors.

Health and Human Services Commission Helen Caulton-Harris said the city-run emergency shelter at Springfield Central High School dropped to 32 users from a peak of 439 in the immediate wake of the storm.

"It's so encouraging to see people able to return to their homes. We clap and cheer for them when they leave," Caulton-Harris said, adding that the city plans to keep the shelter open until the last person is gone.

Peter Clarke, president of WMECO, attended the briefing along with two staffers and waited patiently until Sarno was done lambasting the company. He said he understood tempers were flaring as the roundhouse punch thrown by the weather was still stinging a week later.

"I wish he had shared with me before that he had this level of frustration," Clarke said, adding that the community liaison for WMECO did provide a map to the mayor that didn't quite meet the city's needs, that the phone number snafu was a result of a high volume of calls bouncing callers to a center in Manchester, NH, and logistical issues didn't draw the troops they needed as quickly as he would have liked.

"Everyone just wants to know the date when their power will be restored; everyone is looking for a certainty and surety," Clarke said. "It's not that easy. Crews are untangling wires from trees and poles and equipment are down."

He said the company also didn't get the number of out-of-town line crews to the area as quickly as they hoped and had been promised.

"We probably didn't hit the full complement that we wanted until maybe yesterday," he said.

Clarke said 300 line crews and 150 tree crews are now fanned out across the city and other communities, and most should have their power restored over the next 48 hours.

The correct WMECO customer service number for Springfield residents to call is: 1-877-659-6326.

After the briefing, Sarno reported that there was a live, sparking wire on Huron Street on Saturday afternoon that took two hours for WMECO to respond to. Calls of wires sparking and transformers exploding still resonated throughout the city into the late evening.

As of 7 p.m. on Saturday, 12,406 of Western Massachusetts Electric Co.’s customers were still without power, according to its Web site, with Springfield outages still at 9 percent and the tiny town of Middlefield at 74 percent. WMECO spokeswoman Sandra Ahearn said she expected most customers’ power to be restored by Sunday morning.

National Grid spokesman David Graves said power restorations will likely continue into Sunday as crews go house-to-house. That company serves communities around Greater Springfield including Wilbraham and Monson.

“Our original estimates were based on knowledge of past storms, but this surpassed anyone’s expectations or anyone’s memories,” Graves said.

He said the company began the day on Saturday with about 24,000 customers in western Massachusetts still without power; that number was cut almost in half by nighttime.

“As slow and as arduous as it is, customers are coming back on minute by minute, hour by hour,” Graves said.

Residents are urged to assemble and keep disaster emergency preparedness kits close by and to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice if notified by local officials to leave their homes.

Severe weather forecasts are issued year-round for conditions in Massachusetts. Floods and tornadoes can occur in the spring and summer, while the fall and winter seasons can produce crippling snow and ice storms.

The nor’easter that plowed through New England last weekend and plunged much of Western Massachusetts into darkness for days prompted the federal and state Emergency Management Agencies this week to issue a reminder to residents to be prepared in advance for emergencies during future storms this winter.

In urging better preparedness, the two agencies cited the state’s having endured “several bad hits” already this year with the Jan. 11 and 12 winter storm, the June 1 tornadoes and the August flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.

“More severe weather systems will strike this area; it’s a matter of when, not if,” emergency agency officials said, with the message: “Get Ready Now.”

Residents are being urged to assemble and keep disaster emergency preparedness kits close by and to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice if notified by local officials to leave their homes.

Such kits should be kept in a portable container that residents can have take with them if they must evacuate their homes.

An emergency preparedness kit should include:

• At least a three-day supply of food and bottled water for each family member;

• Manual can opener;

• Battery-powered radio and flashlights with extra batteries;

• First-aid kit with family members’ medications and prescription information;

• Hygiene and personal care items;

• Emergency contact list and telephone numbers;

• Copies of important papers including insurance policies and bank account information; and

• Emergency money - preferably cash - or credit card.

• Additional supplies for infants, older residents and those with functional needs; and

• Pet supplies, if applicable.

Residents are also advised to keep a full tank of gas in their vehicles during such weather events that could pose emergency situations. And families should develop disaster plans for their homes so everyone knows how to stay safe.

Parents are encouraged to walk the route their children will take to school to be sure the sidewalks are clear of tree debris and safe for travel. The town will institute one way traffic flow in the areas of Blueberry Hill School and Center School.

LONGMEADOW – Schools will open Monday, according to Select Board member Marie Angelides.

Parents are encouraged to walk the route their children will take to school to be sure the sidewalks are clear of tree debris and safe for travel. The town will institute one way traffic flow in the areas of Blueberry Hill School and Center School, Angelides said.

As of Saturday, 19 percent of the town was without power, though there were 33 lines crews from WMECO and 16 tree crews from Longmeadow working. Those without power should call 1-877-659-6326.

Town officials plan to keep the shelter at the Longmeadow High School open Saturday night.

CEO Jeffrey Butler said the utility must do a better job communicating about changing conditions.

A vehicle passes under a traffic light damaged from the storm as workers Connecticut Department of Transportation and Connecticut Light & Power work a the down line on Route 5 in South Windsor, Conn., Monday, Oct. 31, 2011. The unseasonably early nor'easter had utility companies struggling to restore electricity to more than 3 million homes and businesses. By early Monday, the number of customers without power was still above 2 million but falling. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Light & Power says seven times its normal number of line crews are working to restore power after the October snow storm, and it remains on track to restore electricity to 99 percent of its customers by midnight Sunday.

The utility reported about 203,000 customers without power by early afternoon Saturday. That's down from about 300,000 on Friday and 830,000 at the peak of the outages.

The utility's chief operating officer, Jeffrey Butler, said at a press conference Saturday that customers who pay their October bills late won't be charged a fee.

He also said the utility must do a better job communicating about changing conditions.

More than 30 regional growers provide fresh produce to Big Y's 60 markets.

Charles L. D’Amour tells the story of an 89-year-old woman who remembers that when she was a child, she and her father brought vegetables into the Y Cash Market in Chicopee where store owner Paul D’Amour purchased them from her father.

She was proud to tell today’s president and chief operating officer of what has grown into the Big Y World Class Markets chain that she has been a Big Y customer for all its 75 years.

Throughout its history, Big Y has purchased local food, bringing customers the freshest products possible.

“You can’t beat the quality” of local produce, Charles D’Amour says, adding that customers like knowing where their food is grown.

In Hadley, Walter J. Czajkowski, an owner of Plainville Farm, is selling butternut, acorn, buttercup and spaghetti squashes to Big Y this fall as well as peeled and cut butternut squash. (He sells the chain other produce at other times of the year.)

Farms across Massachusetts and Connecticut have an advantage because they can get their produce to Big Y fastest, which means freshest.

“When Big Y gets our produce, it’s only hours from harvest,” Czajkowski explains. “There are good farms in New York and New Jersey, but they’re farther away.”

Czajkowski understands the supermarket chain’s emphasis on quality, noting that the Big Y World Class Markets produce inspectors are, “bar none,” the toughest. “They’re concerned about quality for their customers,” he said. “That sums up the company attitude: they care about their customers.”

Those Big Y inspectors don’t just look at the produce on the top of a pallet; they look deeper, Czajkowski said.

The inspectors don’t take it for granted that a grower has good produce either. “Every time you go, they’re just as picky,” he said.

And, that means quality produce for Big Y’s customers, according to the farmers who deliver the goods.

Big Y has 60 supermarkets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and the company buys from more than 30 regional growers.

Big Y accounts for about 20 percent of Plainville Farm’s business, about $200,000 over a usual 10-month growing season, according to Czajkowski.

John C. Burney, owner of Meadowbrook Farms in East Longmeadow, is also among the local growers to market their produce to Big Y.

About 25 percent of Burney’s total sales are to Big Y, which in turn sells his strawberries and vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet corn, pumpkins, various types of squash and cabbage.

Meadowbrook Farms has been selling to Big Y since the 1980s, and over the years, Burney says he’s increased the product line and the amount sold to the supermarket chain.

Big Y’s business “is huge for us,” Burney said. “It has enabled us to grow our business. They have truly been committed to buying from local farmers.”

Meadowbrook Farms delivers to about a half dozen Big Y stores in the immediate area and also to the chain’s Springfield warehouse for distribution to other stores. “They have been instrumental in building my business,” Burney said.

Douglas J. Coldwell, an owner of Happy Valley Organics in Whately, has been selling to Big Y for about 10 years. The supermarket chain’s business is important to his operation: “We count on it,” he says.

Happy Valley provides vegetables like potatoes, butternut squash, kale and collards as well as potted herbs, delivering them to the Big Y warehouse. Asked about the quality of local produce, Coldwell commented, “From my perspective, it’s the only produce.”

Big Y is committed to providing as many native fruits and vegetables as possible throughout the local growing season.

“We are fortunate to have so many local farmers partnering with us every year to provide our customers with the best produce in the region,” said Michael D’Amour, vice president of sales and merchandising. “In fact, each year we have been able to expand our local grower family to include more than ever before. Our customers appreciate being able to purchase local fruits and vegetables at their favorite Big Y.”

“Our customers look for local products,” said Charles D’Amour, who is son of one of the Big Y founders, Gerald D’Amour.

Selling local products is a win-win-win situation for the customers, the growers and the Big Y; it also helps the region’s economy.

“A lot of the local economy is tied to agriculture and farming,” Charles D’Amour said. “These farmers are our friends and our neighbors.”

D’Amour added that it’s part of his family’s nature “to reach out to these growers and be part of the community together and connect with them.”

It’s just what Paul and Gerald D’Amour did when they began the business 75 years ago.

Storn debris will be collected on the same day as regular trash pick-up.

HOLYOKE The DPW will begin curbside collection of storm debris and yard waste stating Monday Nov. 7.

Storm debris and yard waste will be collected on the same day as refuse collections. Residents are asked to bring storm debris from their yards to the curbside in front of their homes and leave it in piles for collection.

Keep yard waste in bags and barrels separate from tree debris.

Weekly storm debris collection will continue at curbside through Thanksgiving weekend.

Residents can also bring storm debris and yard waste to the city’s drop off facility on Berkshire St. daily during daylight hours.
For additional information, please contact the Department of Public Works office at: (413) 322-5645.

Wiggs said the city will do what it can to help with debris pick-up, but urged residents to try and haul what they could away themselves to the town's landfill on Twiss Street.

Jimmie D. Wiggs, head of emergency management in Westfield, said about 99 percent of residents had power restored by Saturday evening, but the remaining houses darkened by the storm will be slow-going.

Like in most cities and towns, power companies scrambled to get large swaths of homes up at once but some unfortunate residents had power lines ripped from their homes and other damage that will require electricians and other specialists to assist.

"It's one at a time now. I would say 150 or 200 are still without power," Wiggs said, adding that only one person remained at an emergency shelter at Westfield State University.

He said the city will do what it can to help with debris pick-up, but urged residents to try and haul what they could away themselves to the landfill on Twiss Street.

Schools will reopen on Monday, according to Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion. She urged parents to check school walking routes for hazards and debris before children set out for class, however.

Mayor Edward Gibson said the city contracted with a private company to help with removing storm debris from tree belts, which will begin this week but may last up to six weeks.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Mayor Edward Gibson said about 90 percent of residents had power back on by Saturday evening, largely bringing a taxing era to a close following the snowstorm.

"We expect 99 percent to be done by this evening," said Gibson, who added that the emergency center at the senior center on Park Street saw a steep drop in its population. "We had right around 30 every night and last night it dropped to about 16. We expect it to drop more substantially tonight."

Gibson said there were about 1,000 more households still waiting for power. The mayor said the numbers of people still without power had been distorted upwards on the Western Massachusetts Electric Co.'s web site, which caused some confusion among residents as to why West Springfield was lagging behind other local communities.

Gibson said the city contracted with a private company to help with removing storm debris from tree belts, which will begin this week but may last up to six weeks.

Brady said a selectmen's meeting has been scheduled for Monday to convene public safety department heads, and take suggestions from residents on how to improvement emergency management.

WILBRAHAM - Just under 1,800 residents remained without power on Saturday night, according to Wilbraham Selectmen Chairman Patrick Brady.

He said town officials will meet with their counterparts in Hampden on Sunday at 3 p.m. to determine whether schools will be open on Monday.

Brady also said a selectmen's meeting has been called for Monday to convene public safety department heads and field suggestions from residents as to how to improve emergency responses in the future.

Mayor Richard Cohen is holding office hours over the weekend to help storm-sick residents.

AGAWAM - Mayor Richard Cohen said about 1,000 households remained without power as of Saturday at 4 p.m.

Cohen, five staff members, public works employees and representatives from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. were on-hand at the Town Hall on Saturday. The mayor said scores of people were calling and visiting to report post-storm problems, and he and the rest of the group were addressing problems as they were presented.

"The town is doing everything we can to get power back up except tying the lines ourselves," Cohen said.

His office will reopen on Sunday at 9 a.m., Cohen said.

"I just feel terrible that people have waited so long to get power back," he said.

The Fire Department spokesman said this appears to be another fire as a result of power being restored.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire at a one-story home at 272 Hartwick St. Saturday that caused approximately $50,000 in damage, according to Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger.

The call about the fire in the cellar at the ranch house came in at 5 p.m., he said. Leger said the he believes the fire was connected to power being restored at the home an hour earlier.

“We’re thinking it was something electrical in the cellar,” Leger said.

It took firefighters 15 minutes to put out the fire; there were no injuries. He said the homeowner, Dean Doane, and his wife and son were home at the time and got out safely.

He said this appears to be another fire as a result of power being restored. On Friday night, a fire broke out at 55 Alvin St. that caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to an apartment. Power had been restored there about 30 minutes earlier, and the fire was traced to a deep fryer in the kitchen.

It is unclear if the fryer was left turned on when the power went out in the storm-related outage last week, or if there was a power surge when electricity was restored, he said.

Wiggs said the city will do what it can to help with debris pick-up, but urged residents to try and haul what they could away themselves to the town's landfill on Twiss Street.

WESTFIELD – Jimmie D. Wiggs, head of emergency management in Westfield, said about 99 percent of residents had power restored by Saturday evening, but the remaining houses darkened by the storm will be slow-going.

Like in most cities and towns, power companies scrambled to get large swaths of homes up at once but some unfortunate residents had power lines ripped from their homes and other damage that will require electricians and other specialists to assist.

"It's one at a time now. I would say 150 or 200 are still without power," Wiggs said, adding that only one person remained at an emergency shelter at Westfield State University.

He said the city will do what it can to help with debris pick-up, but urged residents to try and haul what they could away themselves to the landfill on Twiss Street.

Schools will reopen on Monday, according to Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion. She urged parents to check school walking routes for hazards and debris before children set out for class, however.

Issue 2 asks voters to accept or reject a voluminous rewrite of Ohio's collective bargaining law that GOP Gov. John Kasich signed in March.

Associated PressOpponents of Issue 2 await the arrival of Ohio Gov. John Kasich for a rally in Independence, Ohio. A momentous showdown over Ohio's tough new restrictions on public employee unions culminates Tuesday in a vote that will resound nationally in a crucial victory for the embattled labor movement or a backlash against government spending. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By JULIE CARR SMYTH

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A ballot battle in Ohio that pits the union rights of public workers against Republican efforts to shrink government and limit organized labor's reach culminates Tuesday in a vote with political consequences from statehouses to Pennsylvania Avenue.

A question called Issue 2 asks voters to accept or reject a voluminous rewrite of Ohio's collective bargaining law that GOP Gov. John Kasich signed in March, less than three months after his party regained power in the closely divided swing state.

Thousands descended the Statehouse in protest of the legislation known as Senate Bill 5, prompting state officials at one point to lock the doors out of concern for lawmakers' safety.

The legislation affects more than 350,000 police, firefighters, teachers, nurses and other government workers. It sets mandatory health care and pension minimums for unionized government employees, bans public worker strikes, scraps binding arbitration and prohibits basing promotions solely on seniority.

By including police and firefighters, Ohio's bill went further than Wisconsin's, which was the first in a series of union-limiting measures plugged by Republican governors this year as they faced deep budget holes and a tea party movement fed up with government excess. Democratic governors, including New York's Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut's Dannel Malloy, have also faced down their public employee unions in attempts to rein in costs.

That's why labor badly needs a win in Ohio, said Lee Adler, who teaches labor issues at Cornell University's New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

"If the governor of Ohio is able to hold the line on the legislation that was passed, then it would be a very significant setback for public sector workers and public sector unions in the U.S.," he said. "Likewise, if the other result happens, then it would certainly provide a considerable amount of hope that, with the proper kind of mobilization and the proper kind of targeting, some of the retrenchment that has been directed at public sector workers can be combated."

Victory could also galvanize support and build energy within the Democratic-leaning labor movement ahead of the 2012 presidential election, a potential boon for President Barack Obama's re-election effort.

We Are Ohio, the labor-backed coalition fighting the law, had raised more than $24 million as of mid-October — more than Obama, John McCain and 18 other presidential contenders raised in combined Ohio contributions during the 2008 presidential election, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Building a Better Ohio, the business-fueled proponent campaign, has raised $8 million. Outside groups including FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity and the Virginia-based Alliance for America's Future are also rallying support for the law. Their spending hasn't been documented.

"This will eclipse any statewide candidate election in the history of the state, in terms of spending," said Jason Mauk, a spokesman for Building a Better Ohio. "It's an unprecedented campaign."

Ohio voters favored repeal 57 percent to 32 percent, an Oct. 25 Quinnipiac University poll showed. But Mauk said the law's backers are still cautiously optimistic they can win, and will continue through the weekend to carry the bill's tea party-friendly message to voters.

"People are tired of government spending more than it makes, more than it collects, and they're frustrated by the debt and deficit problem in Washington," he said. "Voters clearly sent a message of concern (in 2010) and they're demanding that government get its house in order, and that's the platform John Kasich ran on. This is an effort to try to eliminate government excess and get spending under control."

Kasich is ranked among America's least popular governors, thanks in part to his fight against the unions. The former congressman, investment banker and Fox News commentator has traveled the state to rally voters to keep the law and appeared in pro-Issue 2 commercials paid for by Make Ohio Great, a project of the Republican Governors Association.

Voters are eager to help defeat the law because they felt disenfranchised by the process, said Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for the opposition.

The bill was introduced, debated in the Legislature, passed and signed by Kasich in two months. GOP legislative leaders say they heard dozens of hours of testimony and Democrats proposed no amendments to the bill during deliberations.

After it passed, the law's opponents easily gathered 1.3 million signatures for their ballot effort and now boast a legion of more than 17,000 volunteers of all political stripes.

"I've never been involved in something quite like this," Fazekas said. "I've just never seen people so engaged and enthusiastic. I've seen situations before where people were willing to sign petitions, but on this issue people were literally grabbing petition booklets out of our hands and taking them out and circulating them."

Adler said public schools and the post office are the last two big government entities not controlled by corporations, and so are primary targets of union-limiting efforts.

He said "everybody A to Z" will be watching the vote's outcome because of the state's long history as a political bellwether: "Ohio tells a story about America every time it votes."