LYNN — City voters and residents in five other communities cast their ballots today to decide races for mayor, City Council, School Committee, Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting.
In Lynn, the race for mayor pits two of the city’s titans, incumbent Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, a conservative Republican and the city’s first female mayor, against state Sen. Thomas M. McGee, a liberal Democrat who has served on Beacon Hill for more than two decades.
In Revere, eyes are on the potential political comeback of former Mayor Daniel Rizzo as he seeks a City Council seat; in Saugus, seats on the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and Town Meeting are up for grabs; There are City Council races in Peabody; Mayor Stephanie Burke is seeing re-election in Medford, and Malden voters will choose City Council and School Committee candidates.
Lynn’s City Council will have at least one new member with the departure of Daniel Cahill, who will retain his seat in the Legislature. In the September primary, Councilor-at-Large Brian LaPierre topped the field, followed by Councilors G. Buzzy Barton, and Hong Net. Challenger Brian Field finished next and Taso Nikolakopoulos followed close behind.
In the closely watched Ward 2 race for City Councilor, Richard Starbard bested Gina O’Toole by about 200 votes in the primary.
The other race in play is Ward 1 where City Councilor Wayne Lozzi placed first in the primary. But the margin, 145 votes over challenger William O’Shea III, has put the outcome in doubt.
In Ward 3, City Council President Darren Cyr had a 140-vote edge over his opponent, George Meimeteas.
In the rematch between Ward 5 City Councilor Dianna Chakoutis and Marven Hyppolite, the incumbent beat him in September by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
In the race for seven seats on the School Committee, three incumbents, Donna Coppola, Lorraine Gately, and John Ford, were the top vote getters in the primary. Challenger Brian Castellanos followed, while incumbent Jared Nicholson came in fifth.
Lynn City Clerk Janet Rowe predicted more than 30 percent of the city’s nearly 53,000 voters to go to the polls.
“We have a spirited mayor’s race and open seats on the City Council and the School Committee,” she said. “The candidates have been very diligent in getting out lots of information, plus there were a number of debates. I’m excited.”
