Mazow, Sullivan win Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – The only two contested races in the annual town election were for the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Health.Jill Sullivan and Robert Mazow beat out Matthew Strauss for the two available seats on the Board of Selectmen.Sullivan, who was elected Oct. 2 in a special election to serve out the remainder of an unfilled term, received 1,127 votes, Mazow garnered 900 votes and Strauss received 851.”I’m absolutely thrilled,” she said. “I’ve loved every minute of the six months I’ve been on the Board of Selectmen. I love working on behalf of the town and want a chance to keep going.”Sullivan, who moved to town in 1995, is a Town Meeting member and a former member of the Planning Board. She graduated from Brown University in 1989 and holds a Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard.Sullivan, who lives in town with her husband and their three children, said she appreciates the support she has received from town residents.”I am going to take it as a vote of confidence and keep going,” she said. “I just want to keep working hard for the people of Swampscott.”Mazow, who is an attorney, said his priorities include putting pressure on the state delegation to ensure the town receives its fair share of Chap. 70 funding. Mazow, who lives in town with his wife and three children, said one of things he would like to do is help bring back a sense of community.”I’m excited, happy and surprised,” Mazow said. “I hope I can make the citizens proud. I am ready to go to work and appreciate the vote of confidence.”For the seat on the Board of Health, Martha Dansdill beat Marianna Sperenza Hartmann 847 to 746. Dansdill is the executive director the HealthLink, a regional advocacy group for environmental and public health issues. She is also a member of the Swampscott Renewable Energy Committee and the Swampscott Pesticide Awareness Committee.All other races were uncontested, which may have affected the turnout. There are 9,886 registered voters in town and only 18 percent voted in the election. Glenn Paster and Maureen Thomsen were elected to the School Committee. Town Moderator Martin Goldman was reelected. William Sullivan was elected to the Board of Assessors and Jonathan Penyack was elected to serve as Library Trustee, Eugene Barden was reelected to a five year term on the Planning Board and Patrick Jones was elected to a one year term on the Planning Board. Richard Callahan was elected to the Housing Authority.