Northampton City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra files nomination papers in mayoral race, garners nearly 700 signatures masslive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from masslive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fourth candidate emerges in Northampton mayoral race
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NORTHAMPTON A fourth mayoral candidate has stepped forward.
Rosechana Gordon, a longtime Northampton resident with a background in social work, announced she is running for mayor.
“I’m a self-starter. A leader with unconventional wisdom,” Gordon, 54, of Conz Street, said in an interview. “My personal goal is to bring our community from polarized sides or ways of thinking together and to lead. My belief is that there is wisdom from both sides, both political parties.”
Earlier this year, Mayor David Narkewicz announced he won’t be seeking reelection. In addition to Gordon, City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra, social worker Shanna Fishel and engineer Jared Greenberg have announced plans to run for the position.
Northampton City Council backs call for new community care department of unarmed emergency responders, urges mayor to follow suit
Updated May 12, 2021;
Eyeing ways to rethink public safety, the Northampton City Council voted last week to endorse a series of recommendations that, if implemented by the mayor’s office, would change the face of law enforcement in the years to come.
At its most recent meeting last Thursday, the legislative body passed a resolution offering support for a slew of recommendations made by the Northampton Policing Review Commission in its final report released in March. The document, titled, “Reimagining Safety,” laid out more than a dozen proposals that aim to shift certain emergency response responsibilities away from law enforcement.
Northampton Police Station
Published: 5/4/2021 9:34:35 PM
A recent article in the Gazette, “Arts Council backs police cut,” (April 22), reported about a recent Northampton Arts Council discussion and the vote taken to support the three demands of Northampton Abolish Now (NAN). In the article, I was identified as the sole Arts Council member to cast a vote against supporting NAN’s demands. I’d like to take this opportunity to both explain my reasons for my vote and to urge the mayor and the Northampton City Council to ensure that the budget for fiscal 2022 includes funding to support meaningful steps for implementing the recommendation of the Policing Review Commission to establish a Department of Community Care or some comparable municipal structure.
Northampton Arts Council becomes 1st city board to back activist group’s call to defund police by 50%
Updated 6:55 AM;
The Northampton Arts Council last week became the first city board or agency to back a local activist organization’s call to defund the community’s police department by 50%.
At the group’s April 3 meeting, the cultural council, which works to fund, promote and present high-quality arts programming in it Northampton, voted to sign onto the official demands of Northampton Abolition Now (NAN), including its call for the significant cut to the police department’s budget.
The 11-member arts council held a five-minute period of silence and reflection before a majority voted to back NAN’s list of demands. The members who voted yes are Dana Osterling, Danielle Amodeo, Jesse Hassinger, Kent Alexander, Lori Steiner, Michael Abbatiello, Rachel Hart and Thulani Davis. Eamonn Crowley-Edge opted to abstain from voting, and Freeman Stein cast a no vote. One member