NORTHAMPTON — Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has officially announced her reelection campaign, although it may not be as smooth sailing as when she first won the office in 2021.

In a statement put out Sunday announcing the campaign, Sciarra touted several accomplishments by the city during her tenure, such as establishing the Climate Action and Project Administration (CAPA) department to help lead the city toward carbon neutrality, a goal furthered by the city being selected as one of 10 in the state to participate in a pilot program that bans all use of fossil fuels in future building construction.

She also notes other achievements, such as advancing plans for an ambitious Main Street redesign called Picture Main Street, creating the Division of Community Care to provide an alternative response unit to mental health crises and assist those struggling with homelessness, and the revival of the Iron Horse Music Hall downtown.

“Being mayor is not a one-person job. To get things done and make things better requires robust collaboration,” Sciarra wrote in the statement. “The greatest joy and satisfaction I experience as a mayor is working with an incredible team of public servants and an engaged community always ready to step up.”

Sciarra received nearly 70% of the total vote when she was first elected in 2021, defeating opponent Marc Warner and succeeding David Narkewicz. More recently, Sciarra’s administration has come under sustained public criticism over the mayor’s actions regarding the city’s school budget, when the loss of federal pandemic relief funds led to the elimination of around 20 staff across the district despite an increase in the overall budget.

Those actions have led to numerous protests (including an occupation of the mayor’s office by Northampton High School students) and raucous council meetings, including Thursday’s meeting where the council voted to appropriate $295,000 back to the schools to restore some of the jobs, at least temporarily. Sciarra has remained adamant that increasing the school budget any further next fiscal year would lead to a deficit.

The fight over the school budget has led to the creation of the Support Our Schools and Services Political Action Committee, which aims to support greater funding to the school district and “support candidates for municipal office who actively work to realize these priorities,” according to the PAC’s filing with the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF).

According to OCPF data, since its formation on Dec. 4, 2024, the Support Our Schools PAC has raised more than $17,800 from residents and organizations across the city and in surrounding towns. In that same timeframe, Sciarra has raised $10,875 in campaign funds.

Sciarra did not explicitly mention the school budget issue in her campaign announcement, but emphasized the need for unity in opposing actions taken at the federal level under President Donald Trump.

“We are facing the prospect of cruelty, chaos, and incompetence from the White House and all the uncertainty it may bring over the next four years,” Sciarra said. “But I know we can work together — through any disagreements and differences — even in increasingly difficult times.”

In her statement, Sciarra recalled being on the City Council in 2016 when Trump was elected for what would be his first term in office. The mayor said she received a text from Narkewicz at the time that stated, “I know this feels terrible, but now more than ever our city needs us, and we are going to get up and get to work for our community.”

“It was the kick I needed to shake out of my fog,” Sciarra stated. “We’d all need to work harder to find ways to protect and improve our great city, even in the most trying of times.”

Challenger emerges

Sciarra is set to face at least one challenger during the campaign season, with former Northampton police officer David Dombrowski having filed an election campaign with OCPF in January.

In an interview with the Gazette, Dombrowski said he had been considering a run for several years and now, at age 65, decided to throw his hat into the ring. He said that one of his main issues was concern about rising real estate taxes in the city, along with increased water bills.

“This is not something I’ve decided to do just on a whim,” Dombrowski said. “There are many issues here, and it’s just overwhelming.”

Dombrowski also said he would soon launch his own website with further details about his campaign platform, and was looking to build further support and campaign funding to compete against Sciarra.

“I don’t want to work forever,” Dombrowski said. “I want to straighten the city out, and then maybe retire.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.