SALEM — Residents will vote for a mayor and ward councilors on Tuesday.
The two candidates vying for mayor are current Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and City Councilor Stephen Dibble.
Driscoll, Salem’s first female mayor, was first elected to office in 2005. She has listed among her priorities recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, making the city welcoming and accessible to all residents, improving the city’s public schools, creating more affordable housing, improving transportation options, and climate resilience.
Dibble has been the Ward 7 councilor since 2015. He lists senior housing, affordable housing and “smart” development; improving the city’s education system; protecting Salem’s wetlands; using clean energy from offshore wind turbines; and repairing its infrastructure among his priorities on his website.
There are four ward councilor races on the ballot.
In Ward 1, Maribel Steadman is challenging the incumbent Robert McCarthy. Steadman, a clinical-laboratory specialist at Salem Hospital, is proposing to fix the ward’s problems with visitor traffic by running shuttles from neighboring communities and wants to make more of an effort to highlight diversity in the city. McCarthy, a self-employed general contractor, has been the ward councilor for 14 years. He wants to encourage people not to bring their vehicles to the ward and reinvent Salem’s image through its marine history.
Ward 2 candidates are James Zavaglia and Caroline Watson-Felt. Zavaglia would like to see infrastructure updates before responsible development in the ward and a balanced mixture of businesses and development that would support the city’s economy during the off-tourist season. Watson-Felt, who is a change communications consultant at FM Global insurance company and has recently been appointed to the City of Salem’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board, lists pedestrian safety, traffic calming, affordable housing, and resiliency and greening of the community as some of her top priorities.
Ward 3 Councilor Patricia Morsillo, a software engineer, is challenged by David Nicolas Freni Jr., a director of talent for a data-science startup. Morsillo’s priorities are affordable housing, traffic safety and the city’s efforts to combat climate change. Freni would like to focus on traffic issues and a new development strategy that would take care of seniors, existing residents and low-income residents.
Ward 4 candidates are Leveille McClain and Stephanie Rodriguez. Current Ward 4 Councilor Tim Flynn is not running for reelection. McClain is an associate director of security at Peabody Essex Museum, while Rodriguez is a co-founder of a marketing agency. They are both facing ward residents’ frustration with the traffic in the area.
Ward 5 candidates Jeffrey Cohen and Steve Kapantais are vying for the seat of current Councilor Josh H. Turiel. The main issue in the ward for Cohen is affordability of housing, which is why he would like to advocate for tenant protections. Kapantais would like to focus on traffic issues, advocating for a new train station, alternative ways of transportation and a shuttle bus from Salem State University throughout the city.
In Ward 6, Megan Riccardi is challenged by George T. O’Brine. Riccardi, a director of sales operations and CRM systems administrator, would like to continue working on making the city safe, affordable and accessible for all residents. O’Brine, an attorney, wants to advocate for residents outside of the downtown area and keep unrestricted development in check to protect the quality of life and keep longtime residents in the city.
In Ward 7, Francis Riggieri and Andy Varela are running for the seat vacated by Dibble in his bid for mayor. Riggieri does not support luxury-condominium developments in the ward, but he is in favor of a senior village with green space and development of the social fabric in the city. Varela, owner of Maitland Mountain Farm, wants to improve transparency and communication with constituents, expand climate change initiatives and advocate for affordable housing and smart development.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Here is a list of the polling locations:
— Ward 1, Precinct 1 – Bentley Academy Gymnasium, 25 Memorial Drive
— Ward 1, Precinct 2 – Community Room, 135 Lafayette St.
— Ward 2, Precincts 1, 2 – Community Life Center, 401 Bridge St.
— Ward 3, Precincts 1, 2 – Salem High School Auditorium, 77 Willson St.
— Ward 4, Precincts 1, 2 – Witchcraft Heights Elementary School Gym, 1 Frederick St.
— Ward 5, Precincts 1, 2 – Saltonstall School Auditorium, 211 Lafayette St.
— Ward 6, Precincts 1, 2 – Bates School, 53 Liberty Hill Ave.
— Ward 7, Precincts 1, 2 – Salem Enterprise Center, 121 Loring Ave.
