Voters give their reasons for supporting DA candidates
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NORTHAMPTON - Officials said turnout was average for today's primary election, and many voters interviewed around the region said the race for Northwestern district attorney was at the top of their list.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Voting results are being posted on GazetteNET as soon as they are available.
In addition to the district attorney's race, Hampshire County voters weighed in on contested races for state treasurer and state auditor, state representative for the 2nd Berkshire District and the 2nd Congressional district.
In Ward 1-B of Northampton, 575 votes had been cast by 6:30 p.m., said warden Kathy Goulet. Ward 1-A had racked up 208 votes.
Several voters interviewed in Northampton said the Democratic rivals in the Northwestern district attorney's race, Michael Cahillane and Dave Sullivan, both were strong candidates. Cahillane is a former assistant district attorney, and Sullivan is the Hampshire County Register of Probate and Family Court. The primary winner faces no opposition on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.
"It was a hard choice," said Sandra Brown after casting her ballot at Jackson Street School. "I could have voted for both of them."
Ultimately, Brown said, Sullivan's experience as an administrator convinced her he was the top candidate.
David Cronin, a voter at the Robert K. Finn Ryan Road School, supported Cahillane, citing his 10 years of experience as a prosecutor. "It's tough though," Cronin said. "We've got two good candidates."
"I've never seen two people be really reasonable and keep going at it," said another Jackson Street voter, Jeff Zesiger, adding both candidates performed well in debates.
He said Cahillane lost his vote because he signed a controversial petition in 2005 to put same-sex marriage on the ballot for a statewide vote. Cahillane has since said he supports same-sex marriage and called signing the petition a mistake.
Cites 'flip-flop'
In South Hadley, Eugene Greaney said he was set to cast his vote for Cahillane, but changed his mind as election day neared in large part because of what he perceived as the candidate's "flip-flop" on gay marriage.
"I probably shouldn't vote on one issue, but that bothered me," said Greaney.
Patricia Romney, a psychologist from Amherst who has worked as a diversity consultant in the Hampden District Attorney's Office, said she was troubled by how the Northwestern District Attorney's office handled the controversial Jason Vassell case, where a black student who claimed self defense was charged after stabbing two white men at the University of Massachusetts.
Romney said she liked Sullivan's campaign call for connecting assistant district attorneys with cities and towns in Hampshire and Franklin counties and was impressed by his reforms as register of probate.
The Vassell case was on the minds of several voters who headed to the polls at Munson Memorial Library in South Amherst early Tuesday afternoon, and some said Cahillane represented an establishment candidate.
"I was really upset at the Jason Vassell case," said Connie Lentz, a physician at UMass and Amherst College. "I think it was outrageous what they did to that poor guy."
One of Cahillane's uncles, Stephen Cahillane, held a sign supporting his nephew outside the Florence Civic Center, and recalled helping his father campaign for mayor almost 60 years ago.
"It's been a perfect day and I think it's going to be a perfect ending," he said.
Jane Patenaude said Cahillane had her vote because he's supported by law enforcement groups. "I don't really want to vote for a prosecutor that's got defense attorneys backing him," she said, referring to Sullivan.
While Dick Manuel of South Hadley voted in the Republican primary Tuesday and therefore did not weigh in on the district attorney's race, he did some research on the candidates and tried to talk his wife into voting for Cahillane because of his experience as a prosecutor.
"I think he was more of a defender of the law and a prosecutor, and the other one seemed to be a politician," Manuel said.
Laura Fisher, who works as a legal assistant at an Amherst law office, said experience as a prosecutor was not at the top on her list of reasons for voting for Sullivan.
"He has experience balancing a budget, delegating and running an office," Fisher said. "That's more important to me."
Not everyone walking into the polls at Easthampton's White Brook Middle School cast their ballots for the former city attorney.
Ray Redfern, a former police chief in Ashfield and Huntington, said Cahillane was a better fit for the position because of his decade of experience as a prosecutor.
"I'm a former police officer," Redfern said. "I know the kind of work that he does."
Sullivan won the votes of Dolly Crossland and her husband, Harry, of South Hadley, following the Know Your Town candidate's night Sept. 2. Dolly Crossland said the district attorney's office is about more than prosecuting criminals, and she hopes its new leader will help raise awareness of what the average citizen can do to avoid fraud.
"They were both good in their own right, but I thought the business of prevention is what we need," she said.
