By Seth Daniel
Governor’s Councilor Terence Kennedy stopped by the polls to greet those campaigning, including here Candidate Henry Wilson, Councillor Enio Lopez, and Councillor Yamir Rodriguez.
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, several incumbents won their contested district Council races, while Council President Leo Robinson demonstrated the value of experience by leading the at-large ticket with more than 1,000 votes.
Robinson was the only candidate to surpass the 1,000 vote mark, with the exception of School Committeeman at-Large candidate Frank DePatto.
In the at-large race, Robinson garnered 1,023 votes, followed by Roy Avellaneda with 986 and Damali Vidot with 827. Although none of the three at-large seats faced opposition, a competitive race emerged to determine who would lead the ticket – a distinction with significance for the Council President position.
“Now it’s time to stay focused and keep moving the City ahead,” Robinson said. “I want to thank the voters and all my supporters for hard work and dedication in making this victory happen.”
In District 1, an open seat resulted in a victory for Bob Bishop – the former councillor and city clerk – who defeated Planning Board member Todd Taylor 267-213.
Despite winning the Preliminary Election, Bishop’s victory came despite an endorsement of Taylor by outgoing Councillor Paul Murphy and Gov. Charlie Baker.
District 4 featured a highly visible matchup between Councillor Yamir Rodriguez and challenger Mark Rossi of the License Commission. Both candidates ran well-organized campaigns, with Rodriguez prevailing 129-98.
A similarly competitive race unfolded in District 5, where Councillor Judith Garcia faced a rematch against Planning Board member Henry Wilson.
Garcia secured a comfortable win with a final tally of 148-83.
On Admiral’s Hill in District 8, an open seat led to a decisive victory for former Councillor Calvin Brown over Jermaine Williams, 303-79.
In District 6, Councillor Giovanni Recupero won decisively, defeating Kristofer Haight 101-17. Haight had withdrawn from the race in September.
At the Soldiers’ Home in District 2, Councillor Luis Tejada defeated challenger Olivia Walsh 124-94.
Former Councillor Joe Perlatonda will return to the Council after winning an unopposed election for an open seat in Mill Hill (District 3).
District 4 Councillor Enio Lopez won his unopposed contest with 109 votes.
The election results will bring three new members to the Council in 2018.
For School Committee, two seats (District 4 and 5) had no candidates listed on the ballot. Lucia Henriquez mounted a write-in campaign for one of these seats and is believed to have won.
Additional winners included DePatto (at-Large), District 1 Rosemarie Carlisle, District 2 Jeannette Velez, District 3 Rich Maronski, District 4 no candidate, District 5 no candidate, District 6 Ana Hernandez, District 7 Kelly Garcia, and District 8 Yessenia Alfaro-Alvarez.