LYNN ― Coco Alinsug, an immigrant from the Philippines whose family’s commitment to public service in his native land goes back generations, will be the new city councilor in Ward 3.
Alinsug, running against George Meimeteas, won by more than 600 votes (1,300 to 684) to fill the seat vacated by Darren Cyr, who ran and lost for mayor.
Richard C. Colucci won a narrow victory in Ward 4 over Natasha Megie-Maddrey, 637-573.
In the other contested ward race, Richard Starbard won easily over challenger Elizabeth Figueroa, 1,179-616.
In the at-large race, all four incumbents won, with Buzzy Barton leading the way with 5,789 votes, followed closely by Brian LaPierre’s 5,726.
Hong Net was third at 5,703, followed by Brian Field at 5,261.
Nicole McClain (3,950), Jose Encarnacion (3,343), and Marven Hyppolite (2,842) were the challengers.
“I feel relieved,” said Alinsug, who is the first Filipino-American candidate in Lynn history and the first openly-gay ward councilor. “I’m glad to have had a brilliant team behind me. Proud of my husband (Peter Cipriano) who was my campaign treasurer. He was more active than I was, I think.
“I have a very clear plan for Ward 3,” he said. “It has to do with the pollution and the smell from King’s Beach.
“But more than that,” he added, “I need to be visible in my ward. Right now, I want to relax and gather my thoughts. And then, to talk to the people in my ward, listen to them, and thank them.”
Ward 3 is predominantly in East Lynn, with parts bordering the beach.
Barton said he is glad the campaign is over, especially since he faced some family issues that prevented him from campaigning more than he did.
“But when you think about it, I’ve been campaigning for a while now,” he said. “People know what I’m about. They know me.”
Councilors in Ward 1 (Wayne Lozzi), 5 (Diana Chakoutis), 6 (Fred Hogan) and 7 (Jay Walsh) ran unopposed.
A total of 12,543 voters went to the polls, 22.86 percent of the registered electorate.
