Residents of Lynn, Peabody and Salem will vote Tuesday in preliminary elections to determine which candidates will advance to the city elections in November. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all three cities.
In Lynn, residents will decide which two mayoral candidates they want to see on the November ballot. Voters will also choose their preferred candidates for City Council and School Committee; however, unlike the mayoral race, all candidates for City Council and School Committee will advance.
City Council President Darren Cyr and School Committee members Jared Nicholson and Michael Satterwhite are running for the office of mayor. Current Mayor Thomas M. McGee decided last March not to run for reelection.
Cyr prioritizes building new schools and developing the downtown area to bring in more money to the city.
Nicholson wants to offer more resources for small businesses, supports the Housing Lynn Plan — which was passed by the City Council last week — and hopes to expand educational resources in Lynn’s public schools, including the construction of new schools.
Satterwhite has emphasized equity as his priority, both in resources and in hiring for the city government and schools. He supports the expansion of affordable housing in Lynn and advocates for special-education students.
Lynn residents will also vote for councilor-at-large candidates on Tuesday. Current Councilors Buzzy Barton, Brian Field, Brian LaPierre, and Hong Net are running to retain their at-large seats. New candidates include Nicole McClain, founder and president of North Shore Juneteenth Association; Marven Hyppolite, a Haitian immigrant and caseworker in the office of Congressman Seth Moulton; and Jose Encarnacion, a Dominican immigrant, community activist, and board member at the North Shore Latino Business Association.
In Ward 2, Elizabeth Figueroa is challenging incumbent Rick Starbard.
In Ward 3, candidates Coco Alinsug and George Meimeteas are competing for the seat vacated by Cyr in his bid for mayor.
In Ward 4, Natasha Megie-Maddrey is challenging incumbent Richard Colucci.
Wayne Lozzi (Ward 1), Dianna Chakoutis (Ward 5), Fred Hogan (Ward 6) and Jay Walsh (Ward 7) are all running unopposed.
In the School Committee race, incumbents Brian Castellanos, Donna Coppola, and Lorraine Gately are running to retain their seats. Other candidates include Eric Dugan, Sandra Lopez, Tiffany Magnolia, Lennin Peña, Daniel Richard, and Posan Ung.
In Peabody, the preliminary election will decide which candidates will compete for councilor seats in wards 4 and 5. Both races have incumbent councilors being challenged.
In Ward 4, Ed Charest will be challenged by Julie Daigle and John Salisbury-Rowswell. In Ward 5, Joel Saslaw will be challenged by Matt Molk and David Gamache. Two candidates from each ward race will move onto the city election in November.
Charest has been the Ward 4 councilor for six years. He wants to continue working with the community and helping his neighbors. His biggest concern is the amount of Chapter 40B housing that is planned for his ward.
Salisbury-Rowswell has not held elected office before. He currently works as a microbiologist and volunteers for community organizations. He is concerned that the citizens of Ward 4 don’t have as strong a voice as he would like them to have and that he and his neighbor’s opinions aren’t being justly represented at City Hall.
Daigle worked for the City of Peabody for 20 years before becoming part of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Daigle said she wants to bring new and better business opportunities to the city and to work with developers to make sure that their projects are good for the community.
In Ward 5, Saslaw is seeking his fifth term as councilor. He says he is a fighter on the council and represents the interests of the people of Peabody. He wants to continue holding developers accountable and having them be transparent with the people of the city.
Gamache was a city councilor for 24 years before stepping down. Now that he is retiring, he has decided to run again. He is concerned about the Department of Public Works’ recent understaffing and hopes to bring that back up to code.
Molk is running for elected office for the first time, but currently works as the head of a family-run technology firm and runs Peabody Public Access TV. He wants to look into the idea of creating a broadband internet network for Peabody, instead of relying on companies like Comcast.
Salem will hold a preliminary election that will impact races for mayor and City Council on Tuesday.
The three candidates for mayor are current Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, City Councilor Steve Dibble, and newcomer Frank Perley III.
Driscoll is Salem’s first female mayor and was first elected in 2005. She has listed among her priorities making the city welcoming and accessible to all residents, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate resilience, improving the city’s public schools, creating more affordable housing, and improving transportation options.
Dibble has been the Ward 7 city councilor since 2015. He lists “smart” development, bringing business to the city while making it more affordable for residents; improving the city’s education system; protecting Salem’s wetlands; and repairing its infrastructure among his priorities on his website.
New candidate Perley intends to preserve Salem’s historic value and promote marijuana education, according to his Facebook posts.
There are four ward councilor races on the ballot Tuesday.
In Ward 1, Maribel Steadman and Chris Malstrom are challenging the incumbent Robert McCarthy.
Ward 2 candidates are James Zavaglia, Armand Blanchette, and Caroline Watson-Felt.
Ward 4 candidates are Graysen Martinez Ocasio, Leveille McClain, and Stephanie Rodriguez.
In Ward 7, Andy Varela, Francis Riggieri, and Veronica Faustino are running for the seat vacated by Dibble in his bid for mayor.
The two candidates with the highest number of votes in each ward race and the race for mayor will move on to the city election in November.
