Last month, I became the second Black man to serve on the Northampton City Council in history. At the time I could not have predicted that by the next month, I would be informed by the police abolitionist group Northampton Abolition Now (NAN) that I.
Northampton restaurateur running for Ward 4 City Council seat
JESSE HASSINGER
Published: 4/13/2021 7:59:04 PM
NORTHAMPTON Downtown restaurant owner Jesse Hassinger has joined four other newcomers running for City Council. While the others are running for two at-large seats, Hassinger, who is co-owner of Belly of the Beast, is the only person who has publicly announced his candidacy for the Ward 4 seat.
Current Ward 4 City Councilor John Thorpe has said he will not be seeking reelection.
Hassinger, 40, moved from Boston to Northampton in 2015 and he and his wife, Aimee Francaes, opened Belly of the Beast downtown.
Last summer, Hassinger became more active in city government amid calls to cut the city’s Police Department budget and when digital meetings made it easier for him to participate, he said.