Four months after Commencement, Alex Morse '11 still has a ways to go before landing a job.
But Tuesday, he brought himself one step closer by winning the preliminary election for mayor of Holyoke, Mass., his hometown. He finished ahead of incumbent mayor Elaine Pluta by just one vote. He and Pluta will both be on the ballot for the general election. The other two candidates in Tuesday's election will not be on the ballot.
Morse and Pluta, who is 67, will face off in the general election Nov. 8. If elected, Morse would become the city's first openly gay mayor and the youngest in its history.
"My age is an incredible asset," Morse told a Massachusetts television station. "I'm the only candidate raised in the digital age," he said. "I haven't been around for 20 years. I'm not tied to special interests — my special interest is the people of the city of Holyoke."
With 22 percent voter turnout in Holyoke, Morse received 2,023 votes, and Pluta received 2,022. Both finished significantly ahead of the other two candidates, who garnered 806 and 310 votes respectively.
Morse, who was an urban studies concentrator and the first college graduate in his family, announced his candidacy in January after hiring a campaign manager last year and moving to start a grassroots campaign.
Morse's involvement in public life stretches back several years. He has served as a director for several local commissions, including current positions on the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library, the Holyoke Community Land Trust and the Latino Scholarship Association. Morse also founded the first LGBT non-profit organization in Holyoke.
While at Brown, Morse spent three years working at City Hall, where he was mentored by David Cicilline '83, the first openly gay mayor of a state capital and now a U.S. congressman from Rhode Island.
As mayor, Morse would focus on improving public safety, spurring economic development and promoting education by focusing on dropout prevention, according to his campaign website. He also hopes to improve the city by creating an arts district, revitalizing major city streets and engaging citizens in government affairs, according to the site.
"I'm hoping to change the conversation in Holyoke politics," Morse told The Herald in January. "It's really a tale of two cities — there is the city of people who get opportunities, go to college and get decent jobs, and then there's the city where there is poverty and people don't get educated," he said. "I want to bridge that gap, make it a place where everyone has equal opportunities."
