Campaigns count on supporters

Long-time Northampton City Councilor James M. Dostal spent election day in a folding lawn chair outside the Robert K. Finn Ryan Road School, holding signs for Mayor Mary Clare Higgins and City Council candidate David J. Narkewicz.

Dostal, a councilor for 10 years, opted not to seek re-election and was hoping Narkewiecz would be his successor.

Dostal observed that in all his years in city government, including 10 years on the School Committee, he had never seen such high interest in a campaign.

"I think the turnout was really great," he said. Dostal spent most of his day on the campaign line, returning home for a break and a sweater and back in his seat into the evening.

Cursed out: Rudy Lastowski, a constable at Northampton's Ward 3 polling place at the Senior Center, found himself on the receiving end of being "cursed out" by a woman who entered the center wearing a political button for one of the city's two mayoral candidates. Political signs and other campaign materials are prohibited at polling places.

Senior center director Patricia Shaughnessy said she believed the transgression was a mistake. "Some people don't know you're not supposed to have a button on," she said.

Adjust those numbers: In Easthampton, politicians and city officials were impressed by the high voter turnout. City Clerk Barbara L. LaBombard changed her prediction from a 40-45 percent to 50 percent of the city's 11,227 registered voters coming to the polls.

Incumbent City Councilor Joseph P. McCoy, one of the seven people running for an at-large council seat, said he expected the turnout would be even higher than 50 percent. Having never had an opponent in his two runs for office, McCoy said he was happy there was a race.

"It's great to see. How many years have we been standing here (in front of the White Brook Middle School polling place) with just 10 people. Today we don't have room for everyone," said McCoy, who spent most of his day holding a sign.

Inspirational candidate: Gary A. Guyette, holding a sign for Easthampton mayoral candidate Margaret M. Prendergast, said his wife Paula was so inspired by Predergrast that she registered to vote in her first election.

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