Incumbents dominate Lynn races

LYNN – While most of the preliminary election limelight was focused Tuesday on the mayoral race, Lynn residents also took to the polls to elect members of the City Council and School Committee.In the three contested ward races, incumbents kept their seats in two. Ward 2 incumbent William Trahant Jr. defeated challenger William Cooksey. In Ward 4, incumbent Richard Colucci won over challenger Gina Grandberry. And in Ward 5, newcomer Brendan Crighton resoundly topped James Stafford.As a result of these tallies in the contested ward races, the stage was set for a face-off on Nov. 3.Trahant expressed relief Tuesday night with his strong finish. He had not run a contested race since 1995, when he lost to former Councilor Michael Eddows.Eddows left the council in 1999 to become a police officer, and since Trahant had been runner up in that race, he assumed the council seat.On Tuesday, Trahant defeated Cooksey by of vote of 770 to 528.Colucci, among the longest serving councilors with a record of fighting off challengers, beat Grandberry 218 to 164.In Ward 5, the attempt to succeed outgoing councilor Paula Mackin gave legislative aide Crighton 434 votes to Stafford’s 150.The other ward councilors are running uncontested. They include Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi, Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr, Ward 6 Councilor Peter Capano and Ward 7 Councilor Richard Ford so their vote tallies are moot.In the councilor-at-large race, City Council President Timothy Phelan, usually a top vote-getter, received 3,376 votes. That trend remained unchanged, given that Phelan’s total Tuesday was higher than either winning mayoral candidate received.Coming in second in the councilor-at-large race, Judith Flanagan Kennedy received 2,999. She ran in the at-large race while simultaneously campaigning for mayor.Dating back a decade, Kennedy has been a third- or fourth-place finisher in councilor-at-large races. She was the top at-large vote getter last night in Ward 6, a West Lynn neighborhood she split with Clancy in the mayoral race.Councilor-at-large Paul Crowley finished third with 2,728. Daniel Cahill was fourth with 2,576 votes. Former Councilor Stephen Duffy was fifth with 2,184 votes. George Meineteas, a challenger, finished sixth with 2,013 votes. Political newcomer Eugene Schneeberg came in last with 1,755.Just as the final election will pick one winner out of the mayoral and contested ward races, the at-large race will make city councilors of the top four finishers.In the race for School Committee, the top six finishers in November will serve on the committee.On Tuesday night, the top vote-getter was incumbent Donna Coppola with 3,356 votes. Coppola was followed by School Committee member Patrica Capano with 3,229 votes. In third place was School Committee member Vincent Spirito with 3,096 votes. Committee member John Ford Jr. took fourth with 3,014 votes, while School committee member Maria Carrasco received 2,983 votes. School committee member Jeffrey Newhall got 2,634 votes.Newcomer Richard Starbard garnered 2,354 votes while another challenger, Harrison Harley III, got 803 votes.School Committee write-in candidate Dolores DiFilippo made it onto the November ballot by winning 514 votes.The electrical power outage that beset much of the city caused minor hassles at some polling places where workers were forced to count ballots by flashlight.