List of mayors of Holyoke, Massachusetts
The Mayor of Holyoke is the head of the municipal government in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Although members of both major parties have successfully run for office since the city's incorporation, elections for municipal positions are officially nonpartisan, on the ballot candidates do not run as members of any political party, nor require backing of one in any official capacity.[1][2]
When Holyoke was incorporated as a city, initially the mayoral term given in the 1874 charter was for the mayor to serve a single-year term, being elected at the end of the municipal year. This was subsequently raised to two years during the mayoralty of William P. Yoerg in 1936,[3] and from two to four years during that of Alex B. Morse in 2015.[4][5] Oftentimes mayoral administrations and mayors themselves are referred to interchangeably with the office space that each has occupied since the city's incorporation, "Room One".[6][7][8]
Since Holyoke's establishment as a City in 1873, the following individuals have served as its mayor-
![](../I/m/CroninWPearsonsSon.png)
# | Mayor | Picture | Term | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | William B. C. Pearsons | ![]() |
1874-1876 | |
2nd | Roswell P. Crafts | ![]() |
1877 | |
3rd | William Whiting II | ![]() |
1878-1879 | |
4th | William Ruddy | 1880 | ||
5th | Franklin P. Goodall | ![]() |
1881 | |
6th | Roswell P. Crafts | ![]() |
1882-1883 | |
7th | James E. Delaney | ![]() |
1884-1885 | |
8th | James J. O'Connor | ![]() |
1886-1887 | |
9th | James E. Delaney | ![]() |
1888 | |
10th | Jeremiah F. Sullivan | ![]() |
1889-1890 | |
11th | Michael J. Griffin | ![]() |
1891 | |
12th | Jeremiah F. Sullivan | ![]() |
1892 | |
13th | Dennie L. Farr | ![]() |
1893 | |
14th | Marciene H. Whitcomb | ![]() |
1894 | |
15th | Henry A. Chase | ![]() |
1895 | |
16th | James J. Curran | ![]() |
1896 | |
17th | George H. Smith | ![]() |
1897 | |
18th | Michael Connors | ![]() |
1898 | |
19th | Arthur B. Chapin | ![]() |
1899–1904 | |
20th | Nathan P. Avery | ![]() |
1904–1910 | |
21st | John J. White | ![]() |
1911–1913 | |
22nd | John H. Woods | ![]() |
1914–1915 | |
23rd | John J. White | ![]() |
1916–1917 | |
24th | John D. Ryan | ![]() |
1918–1919 | |
25th | John F. Cronin | ![]() |
1920–1925 | |
26th | Gregory J. Scanlon | ![]() |
1926 | |
27th | John F. Cronin | ![]() |
1927 | |
28th | Fred G. Burnham | ![]() |
1928–1929 | |
29th | William T. Dillon | ![]() |
1930–1931 | |
30th | Fred G. Burnham | ![]() |
1932 | Died in office |
Acting | William M. Hart | ![]() |
1932 | Acting mayor. |
31st | Henry J. Toepfert | ![]() |
1932–1935 | First elected in special election to finish Burnham's term. |
32nd | William P. Yoerg | ![]() |
1936–1939 | |
33rd | Henry J. Toepfert | ![]() |
1940–1953 | Died in office |
Acting | James T. Doherty | ![]() |
1953 | Acting mayor. |
34th | Edwin A. Seibel | ![]() |
1953–1957 | First elected in special election to finish Toepfert's term. Died in office |
35th | Samuel Resnic | ![]() |
1957–1963 | Acting mayor following Seibel's death. Elected in special election to finish Seibel's term. Holyoke's first Jewish mayor.[9] |
36th | Daniel F. Dibble | ![]() |
1964–1967 | |
37th | William Taupier | ![]() |
1968–1975 | Resigned to become City Manager of Lowell, Massachusetts. |
Acting | Thomas Monahan | ![]() |
1975 | Acting mayor. |
38th | Ernest E. Proulx | ![]() |
1976–1986 | |
39th | Martin J. Dunn | ![]() |
1987–1991 | Resigned to become a State Senator. |
Acting | Joseph M. McGiverin | 1991 | Acting mayor. | |
40th | William Hamilton | 1991–1995 | First elected in special election to finish Dunn's term. | |
41st | Daniel Szostkiewicz | 1995–1999 | ||
42nd | Michael J. Sullivan | 2000–2009 | ||
43rd | Elaine A. Pluta | 2010–2011 | First female mayor. | |
44th | Alex B. Morse | ![]() |
2012–present | Youngest mayor in city history (elected at the age of 22). First openly gay mayor. |
References
- ↑ Gerson, Jeffrey; Hardy-Fanta, Carol, eds. (2014) [2002]. "Holyoke". Latino Politics in Massachusetts: Struggles, Strategies and Prospects. Routledge. p. 101. ISBN 9781135672140.
The electoral system in Holyoke is nonpartisan in municipal elections; candidates can run at-large or from their district
- ↑ Vecinos DeBarrio Uno v. City of Holyoke, 880 F. Supp. 911 (D. Mass. 1995 March 27, 1995) ("All municipal elections in Holyoke are non-partisan, and the requirements to run for office are minimal. None of the suspect devices often used historically to exclude minority candidates, such as majority vote requirements or anti-single shot provisions, has ever existed in Holyoke.").
- ↑ "Executive powers vested in mayor; manner of exercising power; term.". Holyoke Code of Ordinances Title IV- Executive Department, Act No. Sec. 25 of 1936. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ↑ "List of Laws which are not printed in the subpart- Special Acts Applicable to the City-". Holyoke Code of Ordinances State Laws Accepted or Adopted by the City, Act No. Sec. 25 of 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ↑ An Act Establishing A 4-Year Term for the Office of Mayor of the City of Holyoke, 2015 Mass. Ch.91.
- ↑ "Rte. 5 Changes Considered by Official Group". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. December 18, 1958. p. 40.
Agreement on important points involved in the forthcoming relocation of Route 5 west of the city as Interstate Highway 91 was the subject of serious discussion Wednesday night during a Room One meeting
- ↑ Sullivan, Edward J. (April 16, 1974). "Our Holyoke readers Talk Back:Room for More in Room One?". Springfield Union. p. 11.
However, with the present occupant of Room One, the one question that immerses me in puzzlement is, 'How many CAO's would Bill go through in two years?'
- ↑ Plaisance, Mike (February 20, 2018). "Councilors to discuss financial problem racking Holyoke City Hall". The Republican. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018.
'Room One' is the nickname used for the mayor's office in City Hall
- ↑ Feinberg, Mark (November 10, 1957). "Holyoke's Mayor-Elect Created 500 Jobs in City". The Boston Globe.