As the November general election approaches, Franklin County residents will have the chance to hear from a few candidates at several local forums.
1st Franklin District rep.
After state Rep. Natalie Blais resigned on Jan. 19, Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano opted not to call a special election to replace her, leading Blais’ seat to remain open until the November 2026 election. The winner will be sworn in next January to represent the 1st Franklin District following the Democratic primary on Sept. 1 and general election on Nov. 3.
Three candidates remain, including Democratic candidates Lora Wondolowski, the Greenfield City Council president, Corinne Coryat, Blais’ former aide, and Independent candidate Amy Lavallee, the Whately town clerk. The three women will discuss food access, farm viability and the district’s local food system at a forum on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Memorial Hall.
The Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Franklin Land Trust, Stone Soup Café, Shelburne Falls Memorial Hall Association and Two Town News organized the forum to zero in on these “undoubtedly linked” issues, as moderator Monte Belmonte, co-host of the Fabulous 413 at New England Public Media, described.
“Franklin County is such a rural community by and large, and there are so many amazing farms that give Franklin County its character, so the people of Franklin County want to make sure that the person who’s going to represent us on Beacon Hill has a clear understanding of those priorities,” Belmonte said. “Given that Franklin County is one of the poorest communities in Massachusetts, how hunger impacts Franklin County is also another important piece of what we want our representation to know about, and how hunger and the farming community… dovetail with one another is a huge piece of making sure our neighbors have enough to eat.”
Instead of cultivating a food system for local residents who can afford to pay higher prices and a separate emergency food system for those left behind, CISA Executive Director Jennifer Core said the county should work towards something else.
“We really need to be striving to create a singular food system that incorporates all of us and thinks about access for everyone and viability for farms in the midst of that,” Core said. “We have had a real champion in this seat for the last many years in Natalie Blais, so it is important we have a vested interest in ensuring that whomever is elected has an opportunity to talk to the community on their perspective about farms and our farm and food economy and food security.”
With 733 farms and ranches and 71,519 acres of farmland in Franklin County, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, Belmonte and Core stressed that food insecurity and the sustainability of farms are especially relevant issues to the area.
“Every one of us as residents sees it in the landscape, so the policies that we have around farmland protection, state policies that support farmers and make farming possible and viable — they matter,” Core said. “We need to have someone in this position who’s thinking about that.”
The three candidates will answer questions focused on food and farming from the forum’s co-sponsors and audience. Attendees can ask questions at the forum or submit questions beforehand through this online form: https://tinyurl.com/ykfmskcd.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, the League of Women Voters of Franklin County, Greenfield Recorder, Greenfield Community College and GCTV, will co-host a debate for the Democratic candidates, Wondolowski and Coryat, ahead of the primary. The event will kick off at 7 p.m. in GCC’s Dining Commons.
Ashfield Town Moderator Buz Eisenberg will moderate questions from the audience along with the forum’s panel, which includes Greenfield Recorder Managing Editor Shelby Brock and Marie Gauthier, president of the League of Women Voters of Franklin County.
“Our mission is to engage and help others be informed going to the ballot box,” Gauthier said. “We want everyone to vote, but we also want people to know who and what they’re voting for — we want them to be informed.”
Attendees can email questions beforehand to lwvfranklincounty@gmail.com or ask in-person at the forum.
Looking ahead, Gauthier said the league plans on organizing another forum for the 1st Franklin District race closer to the November general election.
Governor’s Council District 8 seat
The League of Women Voters of Franklin County, Recorder and GCTV will co-host another forum spotlighting candidates for the Governor’s Council District 8 seat. Incumbent Tara Jacobs and challenger Michael Fenton will face off in the Greenfield Community Television (GCTV) studio on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 5 p.m. ahead of the primary.
With limited space in the GCTV studio, viewers can tune into the livestream on GCTV’s YouTube channel.
According to Mass.gov, the Governor’s Council consists of the lieutenant governor and eight members representing the districts of the state, who meet weekly to weigh in on state treasury warrants, pardons, commutations and appointments of state officials.
Gauthier described the forum as an opportunity for voters to learn more about the candidates’ views and the council’s role.
“It’s never been easier to find information, and definitely post-COVID with the proliferation of virtual events… Putting together these events is the least we can do to [create] as many opportunities for people to find out as possible what they need to know to vote with informed opinions,” Gauthier said. “We can’t cover every single race, but hopefully this helps people feel a little bit more equipped to make decisions.”
Eisenberg will moderate the discussion with a panel, including Gauthier, civil rights lawyer and podcaster Bill Newman and Greenfield Recorder reporter Madison Schofield. The league encourages those interested in the event to submit questions in advance by emailing lwvfranklincounty@gmail.com. The deadline for questions is noon on Monday, Aug. 10.
