Hanlon Takes the General Election!

In a razor thin win, John Hanlon bested 4 term-incumbent Mayor David Ragucci by 275 votes to take the General Election. Despite winning the primary, Mayor Ragucci fell under the weight of negative advertisements and constant mailings from his opponent.

In other contested races, Alderman-at-large Carlo DeMaria turned back the challenge by Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Matewsky, who topped the ticket in his ward for his council seat. Many had criticized Wayne for running for both seats, but it seems to have served him well. Carlo, who had deluged the city with mailings and literature drops clearly outspent his opponent, which was effective.

Ward 1 Alderman Frank Nuzzo was unchallenged, as was Ward 4 Alderman-Elect, Chuck DiPerri.

Ward 2 Alderman Jason Marcus easily beat back the challenge by newcomer Tina Ovalle. Jason won by his largest margin yet, by more than 2200 votes.

Ward 3 Alderman candidate Steven Smith prevailed against Kevin McCarthy, by the slim margin of 239 votes. While neither candidate broke a sweat campaigning, it's obvious that the McCarthy name still shines for more than a few in the city.

Ward 5 Alderman Robert Van Campen beat back a challenge by Common Council member, Catherine Gover by 183 votes. It was a close race and hats off to both candidates for keeping it clean.

Ward 6 Alderman Joseph McGonagle handily beat his opponent Robert Dunn, outpacing him by 3,288 votes. It was a nice finish for Joe, who has done a nice job in his first term as Alderman.

The School Committee races certainly indicated some anger against the school committee, with Joe Guliano, a newcomer to elective politics, taking TWO seats, topping the ticket in the at-large race, and besting Richard Baniewicz for the Ward 2 seat. Alconada came in third behind Lester MacLaughlin for the at-large seat, with Ruiz taking last place, despite Forestiere's best efforts upon her behalf. Surprising was the victory of David Ela, another Foresteire candidate and chairman of the school committee, over newcomer John Tumblin by more than 400 votes. Foresteire candidate Colarusso also bested Teke Ndi by a margin of 3-1. Candidates Allen Panarese, Frank Parker and Robert Carreiro were unchallenged.

Congratulations to all!

Next up: The Common Council races