New England Public Radio

A Closer Look At The Democratic Primary For Hampshire County Sheriff

Thursday is primary day in Massachusetts. There are two Democratic races for sheriff in western Massachusetts. Both are open seats after the longtime incumbents decided to retire.

Earlier, we looked at candidates in Hampden County. Now, a look at Hampshire County, where Sheriff Robert Garvey is calling it quits after more than three decades. In the race to succeed him: Garvey’s second-in-command Patrick Cahillane; Kavern Lewis, who’s held various jobs in security and corrections; and Melissa Perry, head of Behavioral Health at Holyoke Medical Center.  

VOTER GUIDE 2016

Michael Majchrowicz covers the race for the Daily Hampshire Gazette. He says Sheriff Garvey’s legacy is a key issue in the race.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp speak with Majchrowicz about the Democratic primary for Hampshire sheriff.

Hampden Sheriff Primary: What’s All The Fuss About?

One of the most heated primary elections in Western Massachusetts this Thursday is the Democratic race for Hampden County sheriff. Three candidates are vying for the nomination: Michael Albano, Thomas Ashe and Nick Cocchi. Albano is the former mayor of Springfield and a current member of the Governor’s Council. Ashe is a Springfield city councilor and former corrections worker. Cocchi is a deputy superintendent in the Hampden County Sheriff’s office.

VOTER GUIDE 2016

Reporter Stephanie Barry has been covering the race for the Springfield Republican newspaper. She tells us why the sheriff’s race is so important to Hampden County.

Click the audio player above to hear Stephanie Barry’s conversation with New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp. 

Hampden Sheriff Pauses Plan For Treatment Center Relocation To Springfield’s North End

It’s been a tricky few weeks for perhaps the most seasoned of politicians in western Massachusetts. Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe has been on the defensive over a proposed site in Springfield’s North End for a substance abuse treatment center for inmates that his office runs. Many North End residents worry it’ll be a major setback for their neighborhood. Ashe came to our studios yesterday to make his case for the site, a vacant lot on Wason Avenue.

A few hours after the interview, however, the sheriff’s office said it had a deal with the state to put the North End development on hold, and open up the site selection process for another 60 business days. The North End, it seems, may not be the new home of the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center. It all depends on what other bids come in, and how other residents react.

To hear an interview with Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe, click on the audio player above.

Springfield Inmate Treatment Center To Move By May 1st, Spokesperson Says

The Hampden County Sheriff’s office says the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center will miss a March 31st eviction deadline from MGM. But the sheriff’s office says it now has a plan to temporarily relocate.

Up to now, the Sheriff’s office has not had a specific plan for what to do with the 127 inmates receiving treatment for alcohol and substance abuse. Spokesperson Rich McCarthy says about half, those in the early weeks of the program, would move to its main prison facility in Ludlow.

“If we bring the first five weeks back inside, then it makes it a lot more wieldy in terms of the numbers we’re dealing with to find the community corrections piece where they can be in the community for the last part of the program,” McCarthy says.

He says those nearing the end of the program would move to a facility likely in Springfield or Holyoke. McCarthy says the sheriff is working with MGM to extend its eviction date to May 1st. Long term, the state is helping to find a new permanent home for the treatment center.

MGM did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mass. Campaign Finance Office: Sheriff Ashe’s Political Fund Broke Law With Investments

Campaign finance regulators in Massachusetts have delivered a slap on the wrist to Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe.

Ashe’s committee last year put about $58,000 in a mutual fund. That’s “strictly prohibited,” according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Ashe’s campaign treasurer Jim Tremble says the investment was his decision and says he didn’t know about the rule.

“Both the sheriff and I were upset that in his term something like that would happen and we were afraid of very negative responses,” Tremble says. “And, of course, the campaign finance office was anything but that. They were very cordial. They were easy to work with. They saw what had happened and they helped us correct it.”

The campaign finance office says it considers the matter closed. One reason: it acknowledges it hasn’t specifically publicized the ban on mutual funds. Also, hinting that the market already delivered punishment, the office notes that Ashe lost some $3,700 on the investment.

The sheriff, who is not running again in 2016, uses his campaign fund to donate to charities and other politicians.

MGM Holds Firm To Eviction Date For Inmate Treatment Center

MGM Springfield is holding firm to an eviction deadline at the end of this month for an inmate treatment center in the city’s south end. The building is in the footprint of the company’s planned casino.

MGM now owns the building where the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center operates. The Hampden County Sheriff oversees the center, and while MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis says he’s worked closely with the sheriff to find a way to relocate the facility, he says the center must be out by March 31st, “give or take a few days, which we’ve offered to the sheriff.” Mathis says. “If we had a plan in place that we understood, we’d be willing to juggle some things, but we’re getting pretty close to that critical period.”

The sheriff’s office has requested about 4 million dollars from the state gaming commission to help relocate. But Commission chair Steve Crosby says the sheriff needs to submit an updated request, with a plan for where the treatment facility would move. That’s after the developer for a new space abruptly pulled out of the project last month.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department says the office is “working diligently and earnestly on a plan and a solution.”