School Committee member Jared Nicholson and City Council President Darren Cyr advanced to the Lynn mayoral final election on Nov. 2 after their top-two finishes in the three-way preliminary election Tuesday.
Nicholson finished in first place with 3,220 votes. Cyr was second with 2,593 votes. School Committee member Michael Satterwhite was third with 2,286 votes.
Nicholson celebrated his ticket-topping effort with his supporters at Trio’s on election night.
“I think we were able to really put together a strong team to help us get our message out there and talk to voters,” said Nicholson. “The voters are excited about a future of Lynn that includes all of us, the whole community. I’m so grateful to everyone who helped put that coalition together so that we were able to reach so many people, and I’m even more excited for the opportunity to grow that team in the coming weeks.”
Nicholson lauded Satterwhite for running a strong campaign. “Michael ran a really great campaign and has a really bright future in the city,” said Nicholson.
At Rolly’s Tavern in Wyoma Square, Cyr thanked his many supporters and pledged to continue to work hard in his campaign in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 2 election.
“I thank all those who came out and supported my first city wide campaign, and I’m especially thankful to my supporters in Ward 3, who again gave me their endorsement,” said Cyr. “The 14 percent who did vote have set the stage for November, and my challenge is to continue to work hard to persuade the November voters why my campaign for Mayor gives our people a real choice. The city is at a crossroads, and the road taken will have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact in the future of our citizens.”
Mayor Thomas McGee announced in March that he would not be a candidate for re-election to a second four-year term.
There were three contested ward races in which the two candidates advanced to the final election.
In Ward 3, Coco Alinsug received 872 votes, while George Meimeteas received 475 votes. In Ward 2, Councillor Rick Starbard received 736 votes to finish ahead of Elizabeth Figueroa, who received 387 votes. In Ward 4, Councillor Richard Colucci received 410 votes to finish ahead of Natasha Megie-Maddrey, who received 313 votes.
The four incumbent at-large councillors claimed the top four spots in a field of seven candidates. Councillor-at-Large Brian LaPierre topped the ticket with 3,893 votes. Hong Net was second with 3,816 votes. Buzzy Barton was third with 3,584 votes while Brian Field was fourth with 3,264 votes. Also advancing to the final election in November were Nicole McClain (2,655 votes), Joe Encarnacion (1,939), and Rhode Hyppolite (1,545).
Nine candidates for School Committee advanced to the final election. Incumbents Donna Coppola (3,958 votes), Lorraine Gately (3,726) and Brian Castellanos (3,215) took the top three spots, followed by candidates Tiffany Magnolia (2,810), Lennin Pena (2,710), Sandra Lopez (2,492), Eric Dugan (2,360), Daniel Richard (2,095), and Posan Ung (1,706).