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November 16, 2007

Salem, MA election coverage

   
   
 



School Committee race: the return of the parents

Mayor Kim Driscoll is the only member of the School Committee with a child in the public schools, and several candidates in next week's election say the lack of parent representation was a factor in their decision to run.
"It's a perspective that needs to be solidly represented because there are going to be pressures on the School Committee to cut the budget or hold the line on the budget," said Bart Hoskins, who has two children at Salem High. "If that is the case, then we have to find ways of doing that without compromising the quality of the education, and how do you do that without the input of people who have seen the system up close and personal?"

Crowded field for councilor-at-large

With no mayor's race, the most closely watched citywide political battle may be the contest for councilor-at-large, where seven candidates are vying for four open seats.
It's a crowded field.
Incumbents Tom Furey, Joan Lovely and Arthur Sargent will face challengers Norene Gachignard, Steven Pinto, Ken Sawicki and James Willis on the ballot on Tuesday.
Many of the candidates have the same philosophy toward taxes, chiefly that they should be lower. And most gave high marks to Mayor Kim Driscoll in her first two years on the job.

A new Usovicz challenges Pelletier for Ward 3 seat

Voters here are used to seeing the name Usovicz on the ballot.
But in elections past it was preceded by Stanley, the city's former mayor who was unseated in 2005. When voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they will determine the political fate of Mary, the former "first lady" of Salem and a rookie candidate making a bid for the Ward 3 City Council seat.

Family-tied classmates vying for council seat

The race for Ward 4 councilor is a battle between two members of the Salem High Class of 1992.
But Chuck Barton and Jerry Ryan don't just share the same year on their high school diplomas | they also share a few family members.
The connection is Salem police Lt. Mary Butler and her husband, Brian, a patrolman. Mary Butler is Barton's sister; Brian Butler is Ryan's first cousin.
Welcome to small-city politics.
"I think everybody agrees both Chuck and Jerry are great kids," Brian Butler said. "Either one of them would be a tremendous asset to the city."

Neighborhood activists square off in Ward 1

The two candidates hoping to succeed Lucy Corchado as Ward 1 city councilor are both neighborhood activists.
Bob McCarthy is a past president of the Juniper Community Club, which represents the Juniper Point neighborhood in Salem Willows. And Mickey Northcutt is the founder of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, one of the city's newest neighborhood groups.
Last year, McCarthy organized a volunteer effort to repair the damaged seawall along Columbus Avenue, and Northcutt worked to solve a downtown parking problem by helping residents get permits for the St. Joseph Church lot during the month of October.


Councilor-at-Large

Thomas Furey
  
Joan Lovely
 
Arthur Sargent
  
Norene Gachignard
  
Steven Pinto
2,471
  
4,016
  
2,938
  
2,047
  
2,915
       

     
Kenneth Sawicki
  
James Willis
  
 
 
712
  
1,052
            
             

Ward 1 Councilors

     
Robert McCarthy
  
Mickey Northcutt
  
 
 
581
  
404
            
             

Ward 3 Councilors

     
Jean Pelletier
  
Mary Usovicz
  
 
 
536
  
404
            
             

Ward 4 Councilors

     
Jerry Ryan
  
Chuck Barton
  
 
 
600
  
579
            
             

Ward 6 Councilors

     
Paul Prevey
  
Stephen Harris
  
 
 
536
  
293
            
                 

School Committee

James Fleming
  
Nate Bryant
  
Bart Hoskins
  
Kerry Ann Martin
  
Paulette Roccio
2.845
  
2,346
  
1,204
  
2,724
  
2,122
       





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