The victories by Albano and Franco also assure that a Hampden County resident will sit on the Governor's Council for the first time since 1978.
Former Springfield Mayor Michael J. Albano made a dramatic comeback in politics on Thursday, winning the Democratic primary for the Western Massachusetts seat on the Governor's Council.
Albano, who was Springfield mayor from 1995 to 2003, defeated Westfield lawyer Kevin J. Sullivan, and Chicopee City Councilor Gerry Roy to capture the party's nomination for the two-year position. Considering that a Democrat has held the seat for the past 40 years, Albano appears all but certain to win the general election on Nov. 6 to complete his political resurgence.
With all 309 precincts reporting in the sprawling 8th District, Albano received 43 percent of the vote; Sullivan, 41 percent and Roy, 17 percent.
In a phone interview, Albano, 61, said he was humbled and honored. He said he was grateful for endorsements from organized labor including the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.
"Given the odds, this is an incredible comeback," Albano said.
Albano, a Longmeadow resident, won the primary after he bested Sullivan by almost 3,000 votes in Springfield.
The 8-member Governor's Council, a vestige of the Colonial era, votes whether to confirm judicial nominations by a governor. The Western Massachusetts district has 96 cities and towns.
Incumbent Thomas T. Merrigan of Greenfield is not running for re-election.
The victory was sweet vindication for Albano. The former mayor left office in Springfield during an FBI investigation into his administration that resulted in federal jail terms for his former chief of staff and the leader of a city job training school.
Sullivan, also vice-chairman of the Westfield School Committee, said he was disappointed but he said he had a lot of fun in the contest. Sullivan ran a positive campaign, emphasizing he was the only lawyer in the contest and would be a strong voice for Western Massachusetts at the Statehouse.
"I feel OK," said Sullivan, 46, in a phone interview. "It's a tough loss but it is not going to stop me from moving on."
In the general election, Albano will square off against Michael Franco, 49, a veterans-agent investigator for the city of Holyoke, who won Thursday's GOP primary.
In the Republican primary, Franco defeated Michael F. Case, 62, a retired Pittsfield police sergeant and selectman in the Berkshire County town of Washington. Franco won 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Case.
Franco for the fourth time will be the Republican nominee for Governor's Council. Thursday was the first time Franco faced primary competition for the position.
"We've done a lot of hard work over the years," Franco said in a statement. "So I think right now, the people are rewarding our effort."
The victories by Albano and Franco also assure that a Hampden County resident will sit on the Governor's Council for the first time since 1978.
In the Democratic primary, Albano won big in his former city. He received 6,177 votes in Springfield, or 57 percent, while Sullivan received 3,183 votes, or 29 percent and Roy, 1,466 or 19 percent.
Sullivan countered with a lopsided win in his home community. Sullivan netted 1,464 votes in Westfield, or 71 percent, while Albano received 358 ballots, or 17 percent; and Roy, 240 votes, or 12 percent.
Albano also won in Agawam, Belchertown, Hadley, Longmeadow, Ludlow and Wilbraham.
Sullivan defeated Albano in Amherst, Easthampton, Greenfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Pittsfield and West Springfield, but not by large enough margins.
Albano said he was the underdog in the contest. Sullivan was supported by much of the political establishment in Western Massachusetts including Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and Hampden Sheriff Michael J. Ashe.
Roy won in Chicopee, with 2,593 votes, or 58 percent. Albano received only 27 percent of the vote in Chicopee but he bested Sullivan by almost 500 votes in the city.
Albano loaned his campaign $25,000 and said he took out radio and television ads during the final days before the primary.