Landen loses spot on Swampscott board; pair fills two selectmen seats

SWAMPSCOTT – School Committee incumbent Jaren Landen was unseated in Tuesday?s election as Swampscott voters chose newcomers Amy O?Connor and Carin Marshall for the committee?s two seats.?Obviously Jaren fought a hard battle,” said O?Connor in a phone interview after results were posted. “She was clearly invested in this, and had a lot to offer, but the voters chose that we need some new voices.”O?Connor had the lead with 1,440 votes, with Marshall earning 1,314 votes to Landen?s 1,296. With the other seat vacated by School Committee Chairman Larry Beaupre, the School Committee will continue to hold a streak for having no members who have served two consecutive terms in a decade.O?Connor and Marshall, who had worked together on the Clarke Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, celebrated their win together after the election. “We could not be more thrilled,” said O?Connor. “We?re looking forward to working with the group to getting Swampscott back on track.”In the Board of Selectmen race, Matthew Strauss and John Callahan beat out Charlie Patsios and Patryk Januszewski for the two seats vacated by Rich Malagrifa and David Van Dam. Strauss had the lead with 1,676 votes, with Callahan earning 1,289. Patsios had 739 votes and Januszewski had 472.Strauss and Callahan stood together toward the end of the day holding signs outside the Swampscott Senior Center, the polling center for precinct one and two, where they were already collaborating on plans to get election results as quickly as possible from each polling center.Strauss, who served one term on the board as chairman in the past, said he worked harder than he had before on this election, and was happy to see an end to the campaign stage. “I knocked on at least 600 doors,” said Strauss. “Campaigning really wears on you.”It could have been the beautiful weather, the Girl Scout cookies or the issues at stake, but Swampscott poll workers in every precinct reported they had a steady flow of voters throughout Election Day.Poll workers at First Church Congregational, the polling center for precincts three and four, said they had a higher amount of voters than usual. “It?s been like this all day,” said poll warden Theresa Grasso, gesturing to the busy scene. “Usually it?s more quiet for a town election.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].