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H5332 • 2025

An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke

An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Patricia A. Duffy
Last action
2026-04-30
Official status
Referred to Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke

An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke By Representative Duffy of Holyoke, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke By Representative Duffy of Holyoke, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 5332) of Patricia A.
  • Duffy (with the approval of the mayor and city council) relative to electing certain city officials and filling related vacancies.
  • Municipalities and Regional Government.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-30 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 05/13/2026 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in B-1

  2. 2026-04-06 Senate

    Senate concurred

  3. 2026-04-02 House

    Referred to the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Official Summary Text

An Act addressing a vacancy in the office of mayor in the city of Holyoke
By Representative Duffy of Holyoke, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 5332) of Patricia A. Duffy (with the approval of the mayor and city council) relative to electing certain city officials and filling related vacancies. Municipalities and Regional Government. [Local Approval Received.]
Status:
Referred to Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.5332

SECTION 1: Section 6 of the City of Holyoke Charter shall be amended by deleting the references to the city treasurer and replacing it in full with the following):

“Sec. 6. - Election of city officials; failure to elect; vacancies; disability of clerk.

At such municipal election the qualified voters shall give in their votes by ballot for mayor, city clerk, members of the city council and of the school committee, or of such of them as are to be elected, and the person receiving the highest number of votes for any office shall be deemed and declared to be elected to such office, and whenever two or more persons are to be elected to the same office the several persons, up to the number required to be chosen, receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed and declared to be elected. If it shall appear that there is no choice of a mayor, or if the person elected mayor shall refuse to accept the office, or shall die before qualifying, or if a vacancy in said office shall occur more than six months previous to the expiration of the municipal year, the city council shall forthwith call meetings for a new election, and the same proceedings shall be had in all respects as hereinbefore provided for the election of a mayor, and shall be repeated until the election of a mayor is completed. If the full number of members of the city council has not been elected, or if a vacancy in the office of councilor shall occur more than six months previous to the expiration of the municipal year, the city council may forthwith elect a person to fill such vacancy until the next election. In case a vacancy in the office of mayor shall occur within the six months previous to the expiration of the municipal year the city council may in its discretion call meetings for the holding of a new election as aforesaid to fill such vacancy. In case of a vacancy in the office of city clerk, the city council shall elect a city clerk to fill such vacancy until the next municipal year; and in case of any disability in the city clerk to perform the duties required by this act or by law, the city council shall elect a city clerk pro tempore. In each of such cases the city clerk shall be sworn and shall perform such duties..”

SECTION 2: The General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill, unless the Mayor and City Council approve amendments before enactment by the General Court. The Mayor and City Council are hereby authorized to approve amendments which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of this petition.

SECTION 3: This act shall take effect immediately upon passage.

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