Latest news with #CityClerk'sOffice
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Absentee voting now open for the 2025 Municipal Election in Madison
MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — Absentee Voting is now open for the 2025 Municipal Election in Madison. The City of Madison is encouraging all registered voters who are unable to vote in person to participate by requesting and submitting their absentee ballots. This ensure that anyone who wont be able to vote in person still has an opportunity to make their voices heard. Residents are urged to review eligibility requirements and submit their applications as early as possible to ensure timely processing. To receive an absentee ballot, you can write or visit the Election Manager at the City Clerk's Office. Residents will be able to request an absentee ballot as long as you provide the following: Name and residential address (or other such information to verify voter registration) Ensure that a copy of your valid photo identification is included with the application The election for which the ballot is requested Reason for absence from the polls on election day The address to which the ballot should be mailed Voter signature. (Signature must be original; electronic signatures will not be accepted. If a mark is made in place of a signature, it must be witnessed.) You can click here, to confirm that you are a registered voter at your current address before making an application for absentee voting. Voters can submit the application by mail or commercial carrier. Residents can also submit their applications in person at Madison City Hall (City Clerk's Office) which is located at 100 Hughes Road. A valid photo ID is required. Each application must be submitted in a separate envelope. Multiple applications in the same envelope will not be processed. To learn more about the absentee voting process, click here. To download the absentee ballot application, click here. Municipal elections in Madison will be held on Tuesday, August 26. Polling places will be open for voting from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spillers announces run for mayor of Manchester
And then there were two. The number of people running for mayor of Manchester has doubled, with Ward 8 school board member Jessica Spillers filing papers Thursday, seeking the coveted corner office at City Hall — killing any shot Mayor Jay Ruais had of becoming the first sitting mayor to run for reelection unopposed since 1863. Spillers, a mother to three young children (Roxanne, 5, Quorra, 2, and Tucker, 6 months), wife, and social worker, said she is running for mayor because she wants Manchester to be 'a great place to live -– not just for my family, but for every family.' 'Our public schools deserve leadership that is actually willing to fight for the students and teachers to ensure adequate funding that helps students succeed at every level,' Spillers said. 'I'm tired of a government that doesn't listen to the people. The school board and district had resounding support from both business and the public in fully funding a tax cap compliant budget and in the land transfer for the new Beech Street elementary school. Instead, local politicians decided to put their egos before the welfare of the community, creating unnecessary barriers and cutting the school budget needlessly.' Spillers realizes she is considered by many to be an underdog in the mayoral race — a moniker she says doesn't concern her. She is in the second year of her first term on the Manchester school board, having defeated Mark Warden, 938-791, in the 2023 municipal election. 'Being the underdog is not new to me,' Spillers said. 'When I ran for school board in Ward 8 I ran against a well-known entity, and I think he kind of took that for granted that he would just win. I busted my butt in Ward 8. I went out and knocked on doors, I listened to the people, and I won by almost 200 votes. I'm not worried about it. I have faith in myself, I have faith in this community and in the people who are around me, who have said they're excited and they're ready to support me.' Spillers was greeted Thursday by a hallway full of supporters outside the City Clerk's Office after signing up to run, walking out to chants of, 'Yes for Jess' while accompanied by daughter Roxanne. Municipal elections in Manchester are nonpartisan, but the reality is races for major offices — particularly mayor — typically feature candidates backed by the two major parties. Ruais enjoys the support of conservatives, while Spillers's campaign already has the backing of city Democrats. Jim O'Connell, vice chairman of the Manchester school board, said he's excited to throw his support behind Spillers. 'She has demonstrated her commitment to the people of Manchester through her work on the Board of School Committee representing Ward 8,' O'Connell said. 'Her experience working on the issues that matter to every family in the city of Manchester make her the ideal person to lead the city to a more vibrant and inclusive future. 'She will be missed on the school board but I look forward to working with her to represent all the people of Manchester and to help our city grow to its full potential.' Manchester City Democrats Chair Joshua Query said Ruais 'has not delivered for this city.' 'It's time the people of Manchester have a leader that represents them and the everyday struggles of working families, and Jess is that person,' Query said. Spillers, who has a master's degree in social work with a concentration in child and family welfare from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of New Hampshire, currently serves as a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program specialist with the Department of Health and Human Services. Spillers has been critical of Ruais (who filed for reelection on Tuesday) over the budget for Manchester schools, especially so during a public hearing held by city aldermen in April on the mayor's proposed budget — which came in $9.5 million less than the district and school board requested. 'This is the same issue as what we had with phase one of the long-term facilities plan — our mayor had plenty of opportunities to express concern, to ask questions, and he didn't,' Spillers said during the meeting. 'In fact, in the board meeting where we approved the superintendent's budget, he voted in favor. And then later he comes along and proposes a budget that cuts that same budget by $9.5 million.' Spillers said at the time there's not much more she can do as a school board member at this point, 'other than advocate.' 'You're all one vote, and just because the mayor has proposed this budget doesn't mean that you have to agree to it,' Spillers said. 'You can negotiate and fight on behalf of our students and our educators. The aldermen are the checks and balances on the mayor's power in the city, and I expect you to do your job.' Spillers had launched a website announcing she would seek reelection to her Ward 8 school board seat, but had yet to file papers making her bid official. The window for candidates to file papers to run for office in the 2025 Manchester municipal election ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicopee Councilor Tim Wagner resigns, moving to Boston area
CHICOPEE — Tim Wagner, the Chicopee at-large city councilor who previously said he would not seek reelection, announced he would leave before the end of his term. Wagner, who sat on the Chicopee City Council since January 2024, told The Republican Wednesday he's moving to the greater Boston area for a new job opportunity and 'to be closer to the people I care about.' He said he had submitted his resignation with the City Clerk's Office, and is looking at ways to donate his pay from July and August. He will officially leave the council by the end of August, he said. 'I don't think it's fair to take the full pay if I am unable to fully help my constituents,' he said. Wagner said he would donate two months of his pay to Lorraine's Soup Kitchen and Pantry, the Boys and Girls Club and the senior center. In a social media post on June 19, Wagner asked residents to contact other city councilors for assistance, but 'I will still do my best to assist those who reach out,' he wrote, adding that he planned to continue to attend City Council meetings. Earlier this year, Wagner announced he would not be running for re-election come November. The 22-year-old directed that decision at having 'a lot of life left to live.' Wagner was elected to the council in the 2023 municipal election. Before that, he served on the School Committee representing Ward 1. The young politician said he was proud of a lot of the work he has done while on the council, including restoring an economic development position to the city, adopting a 'long needed' master plan for Chicopee and proposing significant reforms. 'These were substantial efforts, but there is still more to do,' he said in a statement at a January council meeting. Wagner is asking constituents to reach out to the other at-large councilors, Frank LaFlamme and Jerry Roy, or to their ward representatives for any assistance. 'I'm grateful to the residents for this opportunity to serve on the council,' Wagner said. When reached by phone Wednesday, LaFlamme, who is also council president, said Wagner 'always did what he believed was right as an at-large councilor.' 'Sometimes we agreed and sometimes we disagreed, but he always did what he thought was right,' LaFlamme said. The council president said he heard the news about Wagner wanting to resign over the weekend. The young at-large councilor will continue to serve until the end of August, LaFlamme said. After that, LaFlamme will put a question about filling the vacancy to a vote with the other councilors, he said. In March, after Robert Zygarowski, who was vice president of the council, died, the council voted not to fill his vacant position. Judge: Case for Pittsfield woman suing car repo company can move to trial Red, white and blue: The Republican's top movie recommendations for the Fourth of July New Valley Bank sues Springfield after eminent domain taking at DPW's landlocked warehouse Cyanobacteria bloom prompts warning about this Western Mass. pond Read the original article on MassLive.
India Today
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Who is Zohran Mamdani, the man shaking up NYC politics?
Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown even to most New York City residents when he announced his run for mayor back in Tuesday evening, the 33-year-old marked his stunning political ascension when he declared victory in the Democratic primary from a Queens rooftop bar after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo the race's ultimate outcome has yet to be confirmed by a ranked choice count scheduled for July 1, here's a look at the one-time rapper seeking to become the city's first Muslim and Indian-American mayor, and its youngest mayor in Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and became an American citizen in 2018, shortly after graduating from lived with his family briefly in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City when he was mother, Mira Nair, is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include 'Monsoon Wedding,' 'The Namesake' and 'Mississippi Masala.' His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist, earlier this year at the City Clerk's Office. The couple, who met on the dating app Hinge, live in the Astoria section of attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he co-founded the public school's first cricket team, according to his legislative graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College in Maine, where he earned a degree in Africana studies and co-founded his college's Students for Justice in Palestine college, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counsellor in Queens, helping residents avoid eviction, a job he says inspired him to run for public also had a notable side hustle in the local hip hop scene, rapping under the moniker Young Cardamom and later Mr. Cardamom. During his first run for state lawmaker, Mamdani gave a nod to his brief foray into music, describing himself as a 'B-list rapper.''Nani,' a song he made in 2019 to honour his grandmother, even found new life -- and a vastly wider audience -- as his mayoral campaign gained momentum. But 'Salaam,' his 2017 ode to being Muslim in New York, has been cited by critics as proof of his POLITICAL CAREERMamdani cut his teeth in local politics, working on campaigns for Democratic candidates in Queens and was first elected to the New York Assembly in 2020, knocking off a longtime Democratic incumbent for a Queens district covering Astoria and surrounding neighbourhoods. He has handily won reelection Democratic Socialist's most notable legislative accomplishment has been pushing through a pilot program that made a handful of city buses free for a year. He's also proposed legislation banning non-profits from 'engaging in unauthorised support of Israeli settlement activity.'advertisementMamdani's opponents, particularly Cuomo, have dismissed him as woefully unprepared for managing the complexities of running America's largest Mamdani has framed his relative inexperience as a potential asset, saying in a mayoral debate he's 'proud' he doesn't have Cuomo's 'experience of corruption, scandal and disgrace.'VIRAL CAMPAIGN VIDEOS Mamdani has used buzzy campaign videos — many with winking references to Bollywood and his Indian heritage — to help make inroads with voters outside his slice of New York Day, he took part in the annual polar plunge into the chilly waters off Coney Island in a full dress suit to break down his plan to 'freeze' the race was entering the final stretch, Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan, documenting the roughly 13-mile (21 kilometer) trip by posting photos and videos of his interactions along the TikTok videos, he's even appealed to voters of colour by speaking in Spanish, Bangla and other has offered a more optimistic vision, in contrast to candidates like Cuomo, who have largely focused on crime and law and order campaign has been packed with big promises aimed at lowering the cost of living for everyday New Yorkers, from free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for people living in rent-regulated flats and new affordable housing - much of it by raising taxes on the big promises have, unsurprisingly, endeared him to the Democratic Party's liberal secured endorsements from two of the country's foremost progressives, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of outspoken support for Palestinian causes was a point of tension in the mayor's race as Cuomo and other opponents sought to label his defiant criticism of Israel as Shia Muslim has called Israel's military campaign in Gaza a 'genocide' and said the country should exist as 'a state with equal rights,' rather than a 'Jewish state.' That message has resonated amongst pro-Palestinian residents, including the city's roughly 800,000 adherents of Islam — the largest Muslim community in the an interview on CBS's 'The Late Show' on the eve of the election, host Stephen Colbert asked Mamdani if he believed the state of Israel had the right to exist. He responded: 'Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist — and a responsibility also to uphold international law.'advertisementMamdani's refusal to condemn calls to 'globalize the intifada' on a podcast — a common chant at pro-Palestinian protests — drew recriminations from Jewish groups and fellow candidates in the days leading up to the his victory speech Tuesday, he pledged to work closely with those who don't share his views on controversial issues.'While I will not abandon my beliefs or my commitments, grounded in a demand for equality, for humanity, for all those who walk this earth, you have my word to reach further, to understand the perspectives of those with whom I disagree, and to wrestle deeply with those disagreements,' Mamdani said.- EndsTrending Reel
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who is Zohran Mamdani? State lawmaker seeks to become NYC's first Muslim and Indian American mayor
NEW YORK (AP) — Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown even to most New York City residents when he announced his run for mayor back in October. On Tuesday evening, the 33-year-old marked his stunning political ascension when he declared victory in the Democratic primary from a Queens rooftop bar after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded. While the race's ultimate outcome has yet to be confirmed by a ranked choice count scheduled for July 1, here's a look at the one-time rapper seeking to become the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor, and its youngest mayor in generations. Mamdani's mother is a famous filmmaker Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and became an American citizen in 2018, shortly after graduating college. He lived with his family briefly in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City when he was 7. Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include 'Monsoon Wedding,' 'The Namesake' and 'Mississippi Masala.' His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University. Mamdani married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist, earlier this year at the City Clerk's Office. The couple, who met on the dating app Hinge, live in the Astoria section of Queens. Mamdani was once a fledgling rapper Mamdani attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he co-founded the public school's first cricket team, according to his legislative bio. He graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College in Maine, where he earned a degree in Africana studies and co-founded his college's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. After college, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor in Queens helping residents avoid eviction, the job he says inspired him to run for public office. Mamdani also had a notable side hustle in the local hip hop scene, rapping under the moniker Young Cardamom and later Mr. Cardamom. During his first run for state lawmaker, Mamdani gave a nod to his brief foray into music, describing himself as a 'B-list rapper." 'Nani,' a song he made in 2019 to honor his grandmother, even found new life -- and a vastly wider audience -- as his mayoral campaign gained momentum. But 'Salaam," his 2017 ode to being Muslim in New York, has been cited by critics as proof of his antisemitism. Early political career Mamdani cut his teeth in local politics working on campaigns for Democratic candidates in Queens and Brooklyn. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in 2020, knocking off a longtime Democratic incumbent for a Queens district covering Astoria and surrounding neighborhoods. He has handily won reelection twice. The Democratic Socialist's most notable legislative accomplishment has been pushing through a pilot program that made a handful of city buses free for a year. He's also proposed legislation banning non-profits from 'engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.' Mamdani's opponents, particularly Cuomo, have dismissed him as woefully unprepared for managing the complexities of running America's largest city. But Mamdani has framed his relative inexperience as a potential asset, saying in a mayoral debate he's 'proud' he doesn't have Cuomo's 'experience of corruption, scandal and disgrace.' Viral campaign videos Mamdani has used buzzy campaign videos — many with winking references to Bollywood and his Indian heritage — to help make inroads with voters outside his slice of Queens. On New York's Day, he took part in the annual polar plunge into the chilly waters off Coney Island in a full dress suit to break down his plan to 'freeze' rents. As the race was entering the final stretch, Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan, documenting the roughly 13-mile (21 kilometer) trip by posting photos and videos of his interactions along the way. In TikTok videos, he's even appealed to voters of color by speaking in Spanish, Bangla and other languages. Progressive promises Mamdani has offered a more optimistic vision, in contrast to candidates like Cuomo, who have largely focused on crime and law and order issues. His campaign has been packed with big promises aimed at lowering the cost of living for everyday New Yorkers, from free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for people living in rent-regulated apartments and new affordable housing -- much of it by raising taxes on the wealthy. The big promises have, unsurprisingly, endeared him to the Democratic party's liberal wing. Mamdani secured endorsements from two of the country's foremost progressives, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Pro-Palestinian views Mamdani's outspoken support for Palestinian causes was a point of tension in the mayor's race as Cuomo and other opponents sought to label his defiant criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The Shia Muslim has called Israel's military campaign in Gaza a 'genocide' and said the country should exist as 'a state with equal rights,' rather than a 'Jewish state.' That message has resonated among pro-Palestinian residents, including the city's roughly 800,000 adherents of Islam — the largest Muslim community in the country. During an interview on CBS's 'The Late Show' on the eve of the election, host Stephen Colbert asked Mamdani if he believed the state of Israel had the right to exist. He responded: 'Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist — and a responsibility also to uphold international law.' Mamdani's refusal to condemn calls to 'globalize the intifada' on a podcast — a common chant at pro-Palestinian protests — drew recriminations from Jewish groups and fellow candidates in the days leading up to the election. In his victory speech Tuesday, he pledged to work closely with those who don't share his views on controversial issues. 'While I will not abandon my beliefs or my commitments, grounded in a demand for equality, for humanity, for all those who walk this earth, you have my word to reach further, to understand the perspectives of those with whom I disagree, and to wrestle deeply with those disagreements,' Mamdani said. ___ Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo on X at
