HOLYOKE
FORWARD
HOLYOKE
PA'LANTE
ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
Holyoke is at a pivotal moment. Issues like preparing for climate change, transitioning to green energy, strengthening infrastructure, addressing structural inequities, managing finances, and enacting strategic plans and vision require many hands on deck pulling in the same direction.
Our PAC is dedicated to doing the research to make informed endorsements of candidates. We are watching all the meetings, reading all the documents, and sharing our information to keep Holyoke voters informed and hold elected officials accountable.
WE ARE HOLYOKE FORWARD
Two years ago, the voters of Holyoke voted for new leadership on the City Council, favoring candidates with a cooperative and solutions-based approach to governance. This new council has many achievements to its name: increasing resident accessibility to government; supporting the rights of tenants; supporting good wages; voting to fund the building of a new middle school; improving trash and recycling efforts; and much more. The new council demonstrated its commitment to the hard work of solving problems rather than engaging in obstruction and grandstanding.
But two years later, pressing issues remain. The work of preparing for climate change, transitioning to green energy, strengthening infrastructure, addressing structural inequities, managing finances, and enacting strategic plans remains before us. Furthermore, the progress of the past two years can be easily undone if reactionary forces return to power.
Let’s keep going!
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Who is Holyoke Forward/Holyoke Pa’lante?We are Holyokers who’ve watched our government fail us for too long. We believe that despite real differences, we must work together for our city’s future. We’re small business owners and good-government centrists, homeowners and landlords and renters, old-fashioned fiscal conservatives and newfangled democratic socialists. Between us, we supported five of the seven mayoral candidates in the last mayoral election primary. We’ve seen the City’s dysfunction, and we know it needs to end for Holyoke to be strong, functional, and economically stable again. If you're interested in joining Holyoke Forward or volunteering, get in touch with us on the contacts page.
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When is Election Day? And when is the deadline to register?A: 2023 Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. The last day to register to vote is October 28th. More info about registering is available here: https://vote.gov/register/ma/
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How do I find out what ward I’m in? And where I vote?You can find out here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema//bal/myelectioninfo.aspx
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How does a slate work?This part’s critical. Individual councilors can’t make changes happen alone. Our school committee can’t regain local control by working alone. A better future for Holyoke will depend on a group of elected officials who can work together through their differences toward common goals. We will endorse candidates whose differences work towards a common goal: they aren’t all alike, and they all bring different supporters to the polls. If all of one candidate’s supporters also vote for the rest of the slate, then every one of them has an excellent chance on election day. If elected as a group, our candidates’ different talents, life experiences, and perspectives together create a better chance for the City to develop solutions that work for everyone. The transformative power of electing all of them far outweighs any differences we might have with one of them on some specific issue. We can’t emphasize this too much. It’s key to making the change we need in the culture and norms of Holyoke government. Candidates interested in obtaining endorsement may contact Holyoke Forward/Holyoke Pa’lante.
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How many At-Large Council candidates can we vote for?Holyoke’s City Council has six At-Large seats. Every voter can vote for up to six At-Large candidates: one for every seat.
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A slate is a lot of names to remember. Can I bring a list to the polls?Yes, you can bring a list or even campaign materials for your own use when filling out your ballot. Just keep materials in a pocket or purse until you’re at your booth, be sure to take everything with you when you go, and don’t try to persuade other voters while within the restricted zone. Please see #13 and the rest of the Massachusetts Voters’ Bill of Rights here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elerights/rightsidx.htm
