Mayoral contest sparks interest

AGAWAM - Although the political buffet has 31 candidates in line, there will be reserved seats at the government table for only 18 of them by the close of today's voting.

The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The ballot will display the names of 28 contenders, and three others have announced formal write-in bids. The winners will be sworn into office in early January, each for a two-year term.

Town Clerk Richard M. Theroux repeated on Friday his estimate that about 10,300, or 55 percent, of the city's 18,729 registered voters will cast ballots. He said the nine School Committee and 18 City Council candidates each will stir their own support.

But he cited the four-way mayoral battle as the voter magnet with the most pull.

"Our (overall) election has gotten, unfortunately in some cases, a great deal of publicity, which will drive the turnout," he said. "The interest is in the mayor's race."

The Oct. 6 preliminary mayoral contest, which had seven contenders, saw 32-year-old businessman Derek J. Benton take first place in his first try for public office. Former four-term Mayor Richard A. Cohen, 51, was second.

But Benton's arrest record soon surfaced, showing his being taken into custody as a 17-year-old after an altercation at a house party here and again after a bar fight in Springfield two years ago. However, after those revelations, Cohen apparently wasn't fully embraced by the potential voter pool.

City Council Vice President Cecilia P. Calabrese and City Councilor and former School Committeeman Paul C. Cavallo each announced formal write-in campaigns. Each noted rumblings of voter dissatisfaction with both Benton and Cohen as a major motivating factor for their candidacies.

A bitter debate between Benton and Cohen on Oct. 28 left some residents and city officials saying they were embarrassed to be linked with Agawam, unclear on the two candidates' stands on vital issues, and looking at Calabrese and Cavallo as possible alternatives.

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