LYNN — Voters went to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the city’s elections for City Council and School Committee.
The City Council will have three new members, while the School Committee will welcome two new members.
The City Council will also be the most diverse in history, as five of 11 councilors will be people of color, with Natasha Megie-Maddrey and Obed Matul joining Councilors-at-Large Hong Net and Nicole McClain and Ward 3 Councilor Coco Alinsug.
In the councilor-at-large race, the top four vote-getters were incumbents Brian LaPierre, Nicole McClain, Brian Field, and Hong Net, in that order.
McClain, who trailed Tuesday’s fifth-place vote-getter, Donald Castle, by more than 300 votes in September’s preliminary election, will now serve her first full term as councilor-at-large after coming into the role in April after the death of Councilor-at-Large Gordon “Buzzy” Barton.
“It feels amazing to know that all of this work came to fruition with a win,” McClain, who is now the first Black woman to be elected to the City Council, said. “I’m honored, and I will not disappoint.”
In Ward 1, Peter Meaney defeated Jeff Newhall to succeed Councilor Wayne Lozzi, who has represented the ward for 20 years.
Meaney captured 1,046 votes compared to Newhall’s 806 votes.
“My team put in a lot of hard work. This was definitely a team effort, and I could not have done it alone. One thing’s certain: hard work pays off,” Meaney said. “Hats off to Jeff Newhall. He’s a man who deserves respect, and he worked hard. I called him today, and we’re going to work together. We’re all in this together — we’re going to help move Ward 1 and the City of Lynn forward.”
Newhall congratulated Meaney on his victory and said he would continue to work on behalf of Ward 1, in office or not.
“I’ve been in politics before, I’m a coach, losing is part of life,” Newhall said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow… But I’m not going anywhere. I love the city of Lynn.”
Matul defeated Elizabeth Figueroa to capture the Ward 2 seat, garnering 837 votes to Figueroa’s 468.
When polls closed and Matul’s victory became apparent, he thanked his family, his community, and God for helping his campaign.
“I want to thank my wife, my family, my daughter, and everyone who was there with us throughout the campaign,” Matul said. “We all worked really hard, and I want to thank everybody. We ran a solid campaign, and we’re excited by the results. Now I’m ready to start working.”
Matul also assured his constituents that his campaign promises of transparency and accessibility for Ward 2 residents will be realized throughout his term.
“I worked very hard on my campaign, and I will continue to work even harder as councilor,” Matul said.
Matul, who is from Guatemala, is not only the first Latino city councilor in Ward 2’s history, but the first Latino councilor the city has ever had.
Megie-Maddrey was the winner in Ward 4, defeating Donna Coppola with 598 votes to Coppola’s 514.
“I am super excited to have won, and I can’t wait to start working with the other councilors to represent Ward 4,” Megie-Maddrey, who is the first Afro-Latina woman to serve on the City Council, said. “I want to thank Donna Coppola for her years of service to the City of Lynn, Neighbor-to-Neighbor for their help, and my family and friends… Thank you to anyone who helped with my campaign.”
Races for Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 6, and Ward 7 were all uncontested.
In the School Committee, incumbents Lenny Peña, Lorraine Gately, Brian Castellanos, and Eric Dugan all hung onto their seats.
Joining them on the committee will be Sean Reid, who captured 3,576 votes, the highest amount in the School Committee race.
“I think it’s very important that everyone gets out in their community and meets people where they’re at,” Reid said. “I hope to be the same way as a School Committee member.”
Reid said he was excited to get to work on behalf of the students of Lynn.
“This is the honor and privilege of a lifetime to be tasked with this extremely crucial responsibility,” Reid said. “Day in and day out I will work to ensure that every Lynn student’s future is very bright.”
Andrea Satterwhite will also join the council after finishing fourth in votes with 3,112.
“I’m grateful, humbled, and blessed,” Satterwhite said. “I am ready to get to work.”
Tiffany Magnolia was the lone incumbent running for re-election who did not retain her seat.
“It’s disappointing,” Magnolia said. “I feel like I brought a unique voice to the committee, and now there’s nobody that has that voice, and that makes me sad.”
Magnolia said she hoped that committee members would continue to make efforts to advocate for LGBTQIA students.
The other incumbent leaving the committee is Coppola, who did not enter the race in order to run for Ward 2 city councilor.
