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v t e

Elections are currently held every four years to elect the mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Before 1961, mayoral elections were partisan. Starting in 1961, they have been nonpartisan.

Terms had, originally, been for a length of a single year, but were later extended to two years. Starting with the 2011 mayoral election, terms were extended further to four years.

Elections prior to 1933

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1933

In 1933, Henry Martens, a Republican was elected mayor.

1935

In 1935, Henry Martens, a Republican was reelected.

1937

In 1937, Roger Putnam, a Democrat was elected mayor.

1939

In 1939, Roger Putnam, a Democrat was reelected to a second term.

1941

In 1941, Roger Putnam, a Democrat was reelected to a third term.

1943

In 1943, Acting Mayor J. Albin Anderson Jr., a Republican, won election to a full mayoral term.

1945

In 1935, Daniel B. Brunton, a Democrat was elected.

1947

In 1947, Daniel B. Brunton, a Democrat was reelected to a second term.

1949

In 1949, Daniel B. Brunton, a Democrat was reelected to a third term.

1951 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1951

← 1949 November 6, 1951 1953 →

Candidate Daniel B. Brunton Vernon E. Bradley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 25,482 23,501 Percentage 52.02% 47.98%

Mayor before election Daniel B. Brunton Democratic Elected mayor Daniel B. Brunton Democratic

The 1951 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1951. It saw incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton reelected to a fourth term.

Democratic Primary

Candidates

• Daniel B. Brunton, incumbent mayor
• Saul Silbergleit, business owner

Republican Primary

Candidates

• Vernon E. Bradley, member of Board of Assessors
• Saul Silbergleit, business owner
• Leland A. Stone, member of School Committee

General Election

1953 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1953

← 1951 November 3, 1953 1955 →
Turnout	64%
Candidate Daniel B. Brunton Wendell P. Chamberlain Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 32,839 21,248 Percentage 60.72% 39.29%
Mayor before election Daniel B. Brunton Democratic Elected mayor Daniel B. Brunton Democratic

The 1953 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1953. It saw incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton reelected to a fifth term.

The primaries marked the first instance in which the city of Springfield used voting machines in all of its precincts. Turnout for the primaries was over 20%.

Democratic primary

Incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. More than 7,000 voters cast votes in the non-competitive Democratic primary.

Republican primary

In the Republican primary, Wendell P. Chamberlain (a Massachusetts state representative) defeated four candidates for the nomination. His competitors were ward 1 alderman Normand J. Beaudry, assessor Vernon E. Bradley (who had previously been the Republican nominee for mayor in 1951), ward 4 alderman and Springfield Board of Alderman president Henry Clay, and former school board member Theodore Wiel.

General election

1955 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1955

← 1953 November 8, 1955 1957 →

Candidate Daniel B. Brunton Leon H. Hutchins Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election Daniel B. Brunton Democratic Elected mayor Daniel B. Brunton Democratic

The 1955 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 1955. It saw incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton reelected to a sixth term.

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Daniel B. Brunton faced Hampden County registrar of deeds John P. Lynch and Springfield superintendent of streets James J. Sullivan.

Republican primary

In the Republican primary, businessman and Springfield Fire Commission member Leon H. Hutchins defeated Board of Assessors member William G. Macauley.

General election

Brunton defeated Hutchins.

1957 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1957

← 1955 November 5, 1957 1959 →

Candidate Thomas J. O'Connor C. Clement Easton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 31,561 20,826 Percentage 60.25% 39.75%

Mayor before election Daniel B. Brunton Democratic Elected mayor Thomas J. O'Connor Democratic

The 1957 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 1957. It saw incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton unseated, losing renomination in the Democratic primary to Thomas J. O'Connor, who went on to win the general election.

O'Connor became the youngest mayor in the city's history.

Democratic primary

Incumbent mayor Daniel B. Brunton lost renomination to Massachusetts state representative Thomas J. O'Connor in a landslide, losing in all of the city's 68 voting precincts.

When Brunton first announced his campaign against the longtime mayor, his odds of succeeding were seen as slim.

Significant issues debated in the primary included the city's police commission, off-street parking, and businesses leaving the city's downtown.

Republican primary

General election

1959 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1959

← 1957 November 3, 1959 1961 →

Candidate Thomas J. O'Connor Paul E. Affleck Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 39,409 11,424 Percentage 74.72% 21.66%

Mayor before election Thomas J. O'Connor Democratic Elected mayor Thomas J. O'Connor Democratic

The 1959 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1959. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor.

This was Springfield's final partisan mayoral election, as voters also voted to approve a move to nonpartisan elections. The measure that did so also switched from a weak mayor form of government to a strong mayor form.

Democratic primary

In a rematch of the 1957 Democratic primary, incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor was challenged by former mayor Daniel B. Brunton. O'Connor handily defeated O'Connor, leading him in all 66 of the city's 68 voting precincts.

Results

Results by ward

Republican primary

Paul E. Affleck, the city councilman from the city's 5th ward, won the Republican primary unopposed.

General election

Running as an independent candidate was Daniel B. Brunton, who had failed to win the Democratic primary.

1961 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1961

← 1959 November 7, 1961 1963 →

Candidate Charles Ryan Thomas J. O'Connor Popular vote 28,999 26,471 Percentage 52.28% 47.72%

Mayor before election Thomas J. O'Connor Democratic Elected mayor Charles Ryan Democratic

The 1961 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1961, and was preceded by a primary on October 10. It saw Charles Ryan defeat incumbent mayor Thomas J. O'Connor. It was the city's first nonpartisan mayoral election

Candidates

• Norman E. Cowles
• Arbold R. Craven
• Thomas J. O'Connor, incumbent mayor since 1958
• Charles Ryan, lawyer
• Bernard M. Lapointe
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952, and 1955 mayoral candidate
• Arthur J. McKenna
• Armand N. Tancrati, Massachusetts state representative
• Raymond N. Tuller Jr.

Campaign

The 1960 reassessment of all real estate in Springfield led to a furor when one-third of the city's homeowners received increases in their property tax over the previous year. On October 11, 1960, 4,500 residents attended a meeting at Springfield Auditorium where members of the Board of Assessors attempted to explain the tax increase. Each member was booed off the stage before they could speak. O'Connor, who had no role in the property reassessment, failed to quiet the crowd and police were called in. O'Connor planned to cut 578 jobs from the 1961 budget to reduce the city's taxes, but reversed this decision due to a lack of public support.

O'Connor's general election defeat was considered an upset.

Two weeks after O'Connor's loss, the city's percentage assessment system, which had been a major issue during the campaign, was declared unconstitutional by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Results

Primary

General election

1963 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1963

← 1961 November 6, 1963 1965 →

Candidate Charles Ryan John P. Lynch Popular vote 32,063 11,909 Percentage 72.92% 27.08%

Mayor before election Charles Ryan Democratic Elected mayor Charles Ryan Democratic

The 1963 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1963, and was preceded by a primary on October 8. It saw incumbent mayor Charles Ryan reelected.

Candidates

• Arthur R. Caney
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952; 1955 and 1961 mayoral candidate
• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor

Campaign

Incumbent mayor Charles Ryan and registrar of deeds John P. Lynch were considered the two major contenders. A third candidate in the primary, Arthur R. Caney, was regarded as a political unknown. Ryan and Lynch were the two who advanced to the general election.

Both Lynch and Ryan identified as Democrats. Ryan's campaign was managed by his brother, Donald Ryan.

The campaign turned tense when, eight days before the general election, Lynch accused Ryan of being an advocate of busing, bringing a racially-charged issue into the mix. The day before the election, in a television appearance, Ryan alleged that bussing had already started, and that Ryan had approved it. On the day of the election, the Springfield Union ran two full-paged advertisements which showed black children departing school buses at Memorial School in the fashionable, and largely white, East Forest Park neighborhood. The ads, again claimed that Ryan had begun busing in the city. Ryan responded by making a series of radio appearances on Election Day. In one he claimed that the photos actually were showing black children that had been transported to the school, not for the sake of racial integration, but due to overcrowding at schools in parts of the cities that were predominantly black. He also came out against using bussing to resolve de facto segregation.

Results

Primary

General election

1965 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1965

← 1963 November 2, 1965 1967 →

Candidate Charles Ryan James Grimaldi

Mayor before election Charles Ryan Democratic Elected mayor Charles Ryan Democratic

The 1965 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1965, and was preceded by a primary on October 4. It saw the reelection of Charles Ryan to a third term.

The primary, held October 4, had been moved from its original date of October 5. Unusually, this made Election Day a Monday instead of a Tuesday. The change of date was made to avoid the election overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

Candidates

• Charles E. Cobb, reverend at St. John's Congregational Church
• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative and Springfield city councilor
• Rojer J. Lemelin, former Springfield assessor
• Charles Ryan, incumbent mayor
• Frances L. Shea, independent advertising agent

Campaign

In the general election Ryan faced state representative and Springfield city councilor James Grimaldi. He faced several additional candidates in the primary. In the primary, Charles E. Cobb was the first black candidate to run for mayor in the city's history. Frances L. Shea was among the earliest women to run for Springfield's mayoralty.

A major issue in the campaign was how to resolve inequality in the quality of the schools buildings serving the city's largely non-white neighborhoods compared those serving its largely-white neighborhoods. Mayor Ryan proposed limited open enrollment, and hoped for the state to pay for the expense of busing. He felt that black groups had failed to assist in making open enrollment successful in the city. Grimaldi hoped to resolve these inequalities by replacing the city's older school buildings, many of which were located in largely black neighborhoods. Rojer J. Lemelin pledged to follow state's racial imbalance law. Charles E. Cobb argued that students at Buckingham Junior High School (a 63.2% non-white school) were 2.5 years behind students at junior high schools with predominantly white student bodies. He argued against open enrollment, saying that it asked, "the very people least able to pay" to personally finance their children's transportation. Frances L. Shea promised to follow the state's racial imbalance law, but argued that, "all laws are flexible and we should make them fit our situation".

Other major issues included taxes, the proposed closure of the Springfield Armory, and allegations of police brutality in the city.

1967 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1967

← 1965 November 7, 1967 1969 →

Candidate Frank Harlan Freedman James Grimaldi

Mayor before election Charles Ryan Democratic Elected mayor Frank Harlan Freedman Republican

The 1967 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1967. It saw the election of Frank Harlan Freedman. Incumbent mayor Charles Ryan did not seek reelection, instead accepting a lecturing job at the Springfield College. It saw the elect of Frank Harlan Freedman.

Candidates

• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965 and 1967 mayoral candidate
• Frank Harlan Freedman, Springfield city councilor and assistant attorney general

Campaign

While the election was officially nonpartisan, Freeman was a Republican and Grimaldi was a Democrat. Freedman became the city's first Jewish mayor. If elected, Grimaldi would have been its first Italian mayor.

1969 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1969

← 1967 November 4, 1969 1971 →

Candidate Frank Harlan Freedman William J. Kingston Popular vote 32,442 8,499 Percentage 79.24% 20.76%

Mayor before election Frank Harlan Freedman Republican Elected mayor Frank Harlan Freedman Republican

The 1969 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1969, and was preceded by a primary held on October 7, 1969. It saw the reelection of Frank Harlan Freedman.

Candidates

• James Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965 and 1967 mayoral candidate
• Frank Harlan Freedman, incumbent mayor since 1968
• Frederick Hurst
• William J. Kingston, parks commissioner and former Minor League Baseball player

Campaign

Democratic state representative James Grimaldi was a late entrant into the race.

Frederick Hurst's performance in the primary was regarded to have been surprisingly poor. He was one of the earliest black candidates to run for mayor of Springfield.

Freedman's reelection in the general election was aided by popular approval of how he had recently handled a public transit strike and welfare-related protests.

Results

Primary

General election

1971 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1971

← 1969 November 2, 1971 1973 (special) →

Candidate Frank Harlan Freedman James Grimaldi Popular vote 36,205 13,635 Percentage 72.64% 27.36%

Mayor before election Frank Harlan Freedman Republican Elected mayor Frank Harlan Freedman Republican

The 1971 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1971, and was preceded by a primary on October 5, 1971. It saw the reelection of Frank Harlan Freedman to a third term.

Candidates

• Douglas Ariel, conservative activist, mail carrier
• Socrates Babacas, business owner
• Frank Harlan Freedman, incumbent mayor since 1968
• James L. Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965, 1967 and 1969 mayoral candidate
• Wallace Hindes

Results

Primary

General election

1973 mayoral special election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election, 1973

← 1971 January 30, 1973 1973 →

Candidate William C. Sullivan Paul Mason Popular vote 13,738 2,790 Percentage 83.09% 16.87%

Mayor before election Theodore Dimauro (acting) Elected mayor William C. Sullivan

The 1973 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election was held on January 30, 1973, to fill the vacancy left after Frank Harlan Freedman resigned as mayor in October 1972 to accept an appointment as a U.S. district court judge. The election saw the election of William C. Sullivan.

Paul Mason was only the third black candidate to run for mayor in the city's history. He openly regarded his candidacy as more an effort to build up a following to help him run more successfully for the office two years later.

Candidates

• Paul Mason, Springfield city councilor
• William C. Sullivan, Springfield city clerk

Results

1973 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1973

← 1973 (special) November 6, 1973 1975 →

Candidate William C. Sullivan Arnold B. Craven Popular vote 22,082 2,005 Percentage 91.68% 8.32%

Mayor before election William C. Sullivan Elected mayor William C. Sullivan

The 1973 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1973. It saw the reelection of incumbent William C. Sullivan (first elected earlier that year in a special election) to his first full term.

Because only two candidates ran, there was no need for a primary election.

Candidates

• Arnold B. Craven, 1961 mayoral candidate
• William C. Sullivan, incumbent mayor

Results

1975 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1975

← 1973 November 4, 1975 1977 →

Candidate William C. Sullivan Stephen Desmond Popular vote 20,404 2,685 Percentage 88.37% 11.63%

Mayor before election William C. Sullivan Elected mayor William C. Sullivan

The 1975 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1975, and was preceded by a primary on October 5, 1975. It saw the reelection of William C. Sullivan to a second full, and third overall, term.

Candidates

• Stephen Desmond
• Wallace D. Hindes
• Peter Charles LeLuce
• William C. Sullivan, incumbent mayor

Campaign

Stephen Desmond was a first-time candidate for public office, and ran as a U.S. Labor Party-backed candidate.

Results

Primary

General election

1977 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1977

← 1975 November 8, 1977 1979 →

Candidate Theodore E. Dimauro James Grimaldi Popular vote 20,644 8,115 Percentage 71.78% 28.22%

Mayor before election William C. Sullivan Elected mayor Theodore E. Dimauro

The 1977 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 8, 1977, and was preceded by a primary on October 11. It saw the election of Theodore E. Dimauro. Incumbent mayor William C. Sullivan did not seek reelection.

Candidates

• Theodore E. Dimauro, Springfield City Council president, Springfield city councilor since 1970, member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council since 1975, former acting mayor (1972–1973), and former Springfield School Committee member
• Winston Gaskins
• James L. Grimaldi, Massachusetts state representative since 1965, former Springfield city councilor; 1965, 1967, 1969 and 1971 mayoral candidate
• Wallace Hindes (write-in)
• William Kelly
• John P. Lynch, Hampden County registrar of deeds since 1952, 1972 United States Senate candidate; 1955, 1961 and 1963 mayoral candidate
• John D. McCarthy

Campaign

Theodore E. Dimauro campaigned on revitalizing the city's downtown, and talked about pursuing further public-private partnerships to accomplish this.

James L. Grimaldi, an experienced elected official (with 12 years experience on the Springfield City Council and 13 years experience in the Massachusetts House of Representatives) had long aspired to be Springfield's mayor, having run four times previously. By 1977, Grimaldi was 66 years of age, and likely saw the election as his last chance to win the city's mayoralty. He campaigned hard against Dimauro, accusing him of being a puppet for big business, of valuing the city's downtown at the expense of the remainder of the city, and criticizing him for his vote as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council to confirm a black woman to be an associate justice of the Boston Municipal Court.

With both Dimauro and Grimaldi being Italian-Americans, the general election matchup guaranteed that the city would elect its first mayor of Italian descent.

Results

Primary

General election

1979 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1979

← 1977 November 6, 1979 1981 →

Candidate Theodore Dimauro Winston Gaskins Popular vote 20,553 3,518 Percentage 85.39% 14.62%

Mayor before election Theodore Dimauro Elected mayor Theodore Dimauro

The 1979 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 6, 1979, and was preceded by a primary on October 9, 1979. It saw the reelection of Theodore Dimauro to a second term.

Candidates

• Theodore E. Dimauro, incumbent mayor since 1978
• Winston Gaskins, 1979 mayoral candidate
• Wallace D Hindes

Results

Primary

General election

1981 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1981

← 1979 November 3, 1981 1983 →

Candidate Theodore Dimauro Winston Gaskins Popular vote 24,724 14,017 Percentage 63.82% 36.18%

Mayor before election Theodore Dimauro Elected mayor Theodore Dimauro

The 1981 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1981, and was preceded by a primary on October 6, 1981. It saw the reelection of Theodore Dimauro to a third term.

Results

Primary

General election

1983 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1983

← 1981 November 3, 1983 1985 →

Candidate Richard Neal William Montana Popular vote 25,462 4,373 Percentage 85.34% 14.66%

Mayor before election Theodore Dimauro Elected mayor Richard Neal Democratic

The 1983 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1983, and was preceded by a primary on September 20, 1983. It saw the election of Richard Neal.

Facing a prospective challenge from city councilor Richard Neal, incumbent mayor Theodore Dimauro opted to instead retire.

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981 mayoral candidate
• William G. Montana
• Richard Neal, Springfield city councilor since 1979

Results

Primary

General election

1985 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1985

← 1983 November 5, 1985 1987 →

Candidate Richard Neal Joseph Harrington Popular vote 19,382 1,658 Percentage 92.12% 7.88%

Mayor before election Richard Neal Democratic Elected mayor Richard Neal Democratic

The 1985 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 1985. It saw the reelection of Richard Neal.

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981 and 1983 mayoral candidate
• Richard Neal, incumbent mayor since 1983

Results

1987 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1987

← 1985 November 3, 1987 1989 (special) →

Candidate Richard Neal Joseph Harrington Popular vote 20,612 1,879 Percentage 91.65% 8.36%

Mayor before election Richard Neal Democratic Elected mayor Richard Neal Democratic

The 1987 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987. It saw the reelection of incumbent Richard Neal to a third term.

Candidates

• Joseph Harrington, 1981, 1983, and 1985 mayoral candidate
• Richard Neal, incumbent mayor since 1983

Results

1989 mayoral special election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election, 1989

← 1987 April 25, 1989 1989 →

Candidate Mary Hurley Vincent DiMonaco Popular vote 16,636 7,536 Percentage 68.82% 31.18%

Mayor before election Vincent DiMonaco (acting) Elected mayor Mary Hurley

The 1989 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral special election was held on April 25, 1989, and was preceded by a primary on March 21, 1989. It was held to fill the vacancy left after mayor Richard Neal resigned to become a U.S. congressman. The election saw the election of the city's first female mayor Mary Hurley, who defeated acting mayor Vincent MiMonaco.

Candidates

• Vincent DiMonaco, acting mayor and Springfield city councilor since 1972
• Joseph Harrington, 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987 mayoral candidate
• Mary Hurley, Springfield city councilor since 1980

Campaign

In his brief period as acting mayor, DiMonaco had taken a tough stance on drugs, and expressed criticism of what he deemed to be "insufficient" financial support coming from the state and federal governments. He also, with 18 years experience on the City Council and prior experience on the Springfield School Committee, made an effort to portray himself as the more experienced candidate

Hurley accused DiMonaco of "flip-flopping" on various issues, such as whether the National Guard should be used to fight against illegal drugs in the city, which he had previously advocated for, but since walked back his support for.

DiMonaco accused Hurley of receiving the back of a Richard Neal-led political machine. Neal, however, remained publicly neutral in the election, and questioned DiMonaco's assertion that a political machine existed in the city.

Hurley raised $240,000 for her campaign, almost five times as much as DiMonaco managed to raise for his. This fundraising advantage enabled her to run a last-minute battery of television advertisements.

Results

Primary

General election

1989 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1989

← 1989 (special) November 7, 1989 1991 →

Mayor before election Mary Hurley Elected mayor Mary Hurley

The 1989 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1989, and saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Mary Hurley (first elected earlier that year in a special election) to her first full term.

1991 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1991

← 1989 November 5, 1991 1993 →
Turnout	47.16%
Candidate Robert Markel Ray Dipasquale Popular vote 17,286 14,996 Percentage 53.55% 46.45%
Mayor before election Mary Hurley Elected mayor Robert Markel

The 1991 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, and was preceded by a primary on September 24, 1991. It saw the election of Robert Markel.

Incumbent mayor Mary Hurley did not seek reelection, announcing in February that she would not be running, to focus her attention on the city's budget problems. Hurleys' mayoralty had been beset by problems by this time, including wrangling with unions in the prior year.

Candidates

• Leroy Crenshaw, junior high school teacher
• Ray DiPasquale, Springfield city councilor since 1991 and former Springfield School Council member
• Paul Kalill, former Springfield city councilor (1974–1980)
• Robert Markel, Springfield city councilor
• William Montana, draftsman and 1983 mayoral candidate
• Benjamin Swan, black community activist; management and education consultant

Campaign

A major issue of the campaign ahead of the primary election was the problem of "white flight" to the city's suburbs.

The frontrunners ahead of the primary election were broadly considered to be Ray DiPasquale, Robert Markel, and Paul Kalill.

As a candidate, Markel advocated for increasing the amount of fees for city services and increasing the enforcement of city codes. Kalill called for a "clean sweep" of politicians in city government.

Benjamin Swan was a first-time candidate for elected office.

William Montana advocated for a curfew for minors, as well as a revival of school prayer and corporal punishment.

Results

Primary

General election

1993 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1993

← 1991 November 2, 1993 1995 →

Candidate Robert Markel Kateri Walsh Popular vote 16,804 10,560 Percentage 61.41% 38.59%

Mayor before election Robert Markel Elected mayor Robert Markel

The 1993 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 2, 1993, and was preceded by a primary on September 21, 1993. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Markel.

Candidates

• Robert Markel, incumbent mayor since 1992
• Kateri Walsh, Springfield city councilor
• Benjamin Swan, president of the Springfield NAACP and 1991 mayoral candidate

Campaign

Merkel took credit for restoring services previously cut in past budgets. Walsh argued that Markel had been neglecting towards public safety. Swan said that safety, education, and employment were the top issues in the city.

Results

Primary

General election

1995 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1995

← 1993 November 7, 1995 1997 →

Candidate Michael Albano Charles V. Ryan Popular vote 18,929 17,274 Percentage 52.29% 47.71%

Mayor before election Robert Markel Elected mayor Michael Albano Democratic

The 1995 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, and was preceded by a primary on September 19, 1995. It saw the election of mayor Michael Albano, who unseated incumbent mayor Robert Markel. Markel placed third in the primary, thereby failing to make the general election.

Candidates

• Michael Albano, Springfield City Council president
• Chelan "Jenkins" Brown
• Frederick Hurst, 1969 mayoral candidate
• Robert Markel, incumbent mayor since 1992
• Charles V. Ryan, former mayor (1962–1968)

Campaign

Expected to be a central issue to voters in the general election was whether Springfield would receive a casino or not. A year prior, voters had rejected a referendum to allow casinos in the city. However, a new nonbonding ballot initiative was up for a vote coinciding with the mayoral general election, which, if approved, would show citizen approval for building a casino in the city's downtown. Albano supported passing the initiative, while Ryan opposed it. The issue dominated the campaign. In the end, however, despite the voters voting against the ballot initiative, Albano (who had supported it) beat Ryan (who had opposed it).

Ahead of the general election, Springfield Newspapers, the publisher of The Springfield Union News & Sunday Republican, backed both the casino ballot initiative and Albano's candidacy.

Results

Primary

General election

1997 mayoral election

Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election, 1997

← 1995 November 4, 1997 1999 →

Candidate Michael Albano Popular vote 11,314 Percentage 100%

Mayor before election Michael Albano Democratic Elected mayor Michael Albano Democratic

The 1997 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election was held on November 4, 1997. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Michael Albano, who was running uncontested.

Results