GREENFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – There was a shakeup in Greenfield on Tuesday after Virginia ‘Ginny’ DeSorgher won the mayoral election and beat current mayor Roxann Wedegartner by nearly 2,000 votes.
“This is my home. This is where I live. This is where my friends are,” DeSorgher explained.
DeSorgher is a Greenfield city councilor, retired emergency room nurse, member of the planning board, and now, mayor-elect. During Tuesday night’s election, DeSorgher defeated Wedegartner by taking home over 70 percent of the votes. It was a landslide victory that DeSorgher credited to the city’s residents desire for change.
“They came about contamination on a property downtown. They came about housing.
They’ve come about affordability and problematic things in our assessing department. They came about issues that we had with racism that were not addressed and a jury verdict that wasn’t addressed,” DeSorgher siad.
As a city councilor, the now mayor-elect told Western Mass News many residents came to her concerned over a controversial decision that took place earlier this year.
“They were upset we eliminated a night shift at the police department. We needed to have 24/7 coverage, so they just wanted to be heard and to be talked to respectfully,” DeSorgher said.
DeSorgher explained it was that issue, among other concerns from the community, that fueled her race to the finish line. Also, with the cold weather coming in, one thing is on the top of her mind
“I am concerned because our Days Inn is full and we have a huge homeless population here,” DeSorgher noted.
However, the mayor-elect assured us she’s feeling optimistic after Tuesday night’s election. Following the results, she heard from several state elected leaders, such as U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who she hopes will provide some aid to the city. DeSorgher also shared what kind of leader the city of Greenfield will see come January when she takes office.
“People can expect to be treated respectfully, people can expect to be heard, and people can expect to be listened to,” DeSorgher added.
As for the other mayoral races from last night’s election, in Springfield, incumbent Domenic Sarno has been elected to serve his sixth term as mayor after beating opponent and longtime City Councilor Justin Hurst by over 3,000 votes. As for Agawam, a new mayor will be taking over after Christopher Johnson beat opponent Cecilia Calabrese with 54 percent of the total vote and Calabrese receiving 46 percent.
Meanwhile, in Westfield, Michael McCabe will remain mayor for a second term after beating out Kristen Mello by over 3,000 votes. In Chicopee, incumbent John Vieau took the lead over Delmarina Lopez and won. Vieau received 58 percent of the total vote for mayor to keep his seat, while Lopez received 42 percent.
Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.
