PEABODY — City Clerk Allyson Danforth released the unofficial results from Tuesday’s election Wednesday morning.
For the most part, none of the contested races were close with the narrowest margin of victory (103 votes) coming in the Ward 5 race won by challenger Julie Daigle over incumbent Edward R. Charest.
Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. received the most votes with 6,266; there were 1,105 blanks. Bettencourt, who ran unopposed, has served as mayor since 2011.
In the councilor-at-large race, Thomas L. Gould topped the ticket with 5,611 votes; Jon Turco was second with 4,752 and Anne M. Manning-Martin was third with 4,661. Ryan Melville (4,270) and Thomas J. Rossignoll (4,250) rounded out the ticket. Challenger Bukia Chalvire came up short in her bid with 3,320 votes.
Three ward councilors lost their bids for reelection. In Ward 3, challenger Stephanie R. Peach defeated James Moutsoulas, 645 to 408. Daigle won the Ward 4 seat, defeating Charest, 780-677, while former councilor David R. Gamache won the Ward 5 race over Joel D. Saslaw, 771 to 534.
Incumbent Peter M. McGinn won in Ward 2 with 541 votes over challenger Karen-Marie Cohen, who received 220 votes. Ward 1 incumbent Craig S. Welton (1,127 votes) and Ward 6 incumbent Mark J. O’Neill (1,038 votes) ran unopposed.
Municipal Light Commission incumbent Thomas Paras (4,105) and challenger Raymond Melvin (3,072) were elected to six-year terms. Incumbent Robert Wheatley (2,338) and challenger Tracy Valletti (2,671) came up short.
Three seats were up for grabs in the School Committee race. Incumbent Beverley Griffin Dunne topped the ticket with 5,538 votes. Challenger Jon P. Swanson (4,812) and incumbent Jarrod M. Hochman (4,768) were also elected.
Incumbent Anne V. Quinn (5,263), challenger Jennifer L. Smith (4,799), incumbent Richard C Shruhan (4,622) and challenger Katrina J. Vassallo (5,766) were elected as Trustees of the Peabody Institute Library.
A total of 7,580 residents cast ballots, representing approximately 19 percent of 39,347 registered voters.
