SWAMPSCOTT — Voters elected Doug Thompson and reelected David Grishman to serve three-year terms on the Select Board Tuesday night at the Town Election.
Voters from all precincts made their way to Swampscott High School Tuesday to cast their ballots. While positions for moderator, School Committee, Board of Trustees, Housing Authority, Town Meeting, and Planning Board were on the ballot, Select Board was the only contested race.
Candidates Stefanie Neumann, Thompson, and incumbent Grishman went head-to-head for two open Select Board seats. All three candidates spent the day outside Swampscott High School waving campaign signs as voters made their way to the polls.
When polls closed at 8 p.m., the candidates hurried inside the high school to read and calculate election results taped to the front window. Thompson raked in 1,020 votes across the six precincts, while Grishman received 887 votes, and Neumann earned 828 votes.
“I am delighted to serve this town,” Thompson said.
Thompson, the current vice chair of Swampscott’s Climate Action Plan Committee, ran for 8th Essex District State Representative in September. He campaigned around affordable housing expansion, environmental stability, economic development, and creating a clear vision for Swampscott’s future.
“We need to balance our needs for affordable housing for families, seniors and veterans; high quality education; economic development; and addressing climate change with prudent fiscal management. We can do this through a public process that shapes a vision and clear identity for Swampscott for the next few years — and the next generation,” Thompson wrote in his campaign announcement March 31.
On Tuesday night, Thompson thanked Neumann for her hard work during her campaign and commented that he would like to bring more community input to Town Hall.
“I really want to be reaching out to everybody. We’re going to be working on bringing people together and helping us figure out the town’s needs. We’ve got an incredible amount of opportunity here in Swampscott,” Thompson said.
Grishman was first elected in 2020 and will now serve his second term. He thanked voters for engaging with local democracy and his supporters for their hard work during his campaign. He vowed continued dedication to service the people of Swampscott.
“This is more about the town than it is about me. This is about representing all 15,000 residents in Swampscott, and I’m incredibly excited to do it. This is the finish line as well as the start line,” Grishman said. “I look forward to serving the residents of Swampscott for the next three years.”
Neumann said that while she was disappointed by her loss, she was hoped Swampscott residents would be in good hands with a newly-configured Select Board.
“I ran a hard race and I am sorry that I’ve not had the opportunity to serve. The people of this town deserve to be listened to,” Neumann said. “I’m hoping that with this new board configuration, there will be some good to come of it and that the town is due to progress in a manner that suits not only the needs of those who are running, but also the community as a whole.”
Grishman added that he looked forward to working alongside Thompson, who he said shared a similar vision for progressing the town of Swampscott.
“Doug is certainly somebody who’s for progress. I am for progress too, and I’m looking forward to working with Doug as well as the other three members of the Select Board to continue the positive momentum that we’ve been accomplishing over the last several years,” Grishman said.
