SALEM ― Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and City Councilor Stephen G. Dibble were the two highest vote-getters in Tuesday’s preliminary election and will be on the ballot for the mayoral race in November.
Driscoll, the city’s first female mayor who was first elected in 2005, topped the ticket with a resounding 60.5 percent of the vote. Dibble, Ward 7 councilor since 2015, came in a distant second with 37.4 percent. Newcomer Frank L. Perley III came in third with just 2.2 percent and was, therefore, eliminated from contention.
Voter turnout was 22 percent, with 6,874 ballots cast out of 31,847 registered voters.
Along with confirming the mayoral candidates for the November ballot, preliminary election results also determined City Council ward candidates. A host of 12 contestants vied for council seats in the Witch City, representing wards 1, 2, 4, and 7.
In Ward 1, there were three candidates in Maribel N. Steadman, incumbent Robert K. McCarthy, and Christopher J. Malstrom Jr. McCarthy and Steadman both were voted to move forward to the general election, polling at 40.3 percent and 32.9 percent respectively.
The Ward 2 race saw three candidates for City Council: James M. Zavaglia, Armand V. Blanchette, and Caroline E. Watson-Felt. Watson-Felt, who dominated the ward with 72.7 percent, will face a challenge from Zavaglia, who reported a distant 16.1 percent.
The preliminary contestants in Ward 4 were Grayson Martinez Ocasio, Leveille McClain, and Stephanie Rodriguez. Rodriguez and McClain, neck and neck at 39.4 and 31 percent respectively, will face off in November.
Lastly, Ward 7 City Council initially saw Andrew Varela, Francis Riggieri, and Veronica Faustino in competition. With Faustino out of the running, Varela, at 40.1 percent, and Riggieri, at 36.7 percent, will square off in the general election.
The general elections will be held on Nov. 2.
