Copyright The Boston Globe
Mayor Greg Verga faced a difficult re-election leading up to Tuesday. A year ago, Verga directed an obscene gesture at protesters — which he later apologized for — during a strike by the city’s educators that lasted for two weeks. Officials eventually reached an agreement, but the controversy followed Verga. In September’s preliminary vote, he managed only a second place finish behind City Councilor Paul Lundberg. On Tuesday, Verga lost his bid for a third, two-year term. He garnered 3,497 votes compared with Lundberg’s 4,719, according to the city clerk’s office. Lundberg promised to address education, tackle affordable housing, and deliver more economic development as mayor. Incumbent Republican Mayor Shaunna O’Connell overcame a challenge from her opponent, Democrat City Councilor Estele Borges, winning re-election with 52.6 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results released by the city. The race was a re-match of a 2019 mayoral campaign that O’Connell won. This time around, O’Connell campaigned amid personal legal issues related to domestic assault charges she faced last year after a fight with her husband. An Attleboro District Court judge dismissed more serious charges related to the incident but O’Connell received six months probation on accusations of assault and battery on a family member. She ran on keeping taxes low and improved infrastructure in the city, according to her campaign website. In 2021, Brian DePeña won in an upset. On Tuesday, he faced challenger Juan “Manny” Gonzalez, a firefighter and community activist, and prevailed again. DePeña received 5,982 votes compared to 5,110 for his challenger, according to unofficial results released by the city. DePeña campaigned on a promise to “keep progress going,” touting what his campaign said were improvements in economic development and public safety, issues that catapulted him to victory in his win. Gonzalez’s agenda included a promise to provide low cost housing for local residents and more transparency on the city’s fiscal health, his campaign platform showed. A new mayor will take office in Somerville. Jake Wilson, an at-large city councilor who pledged to make City Hall more accessible and fix dysfunctional city services prevailed over Willie Burnley Jr., also an at-large councilor. Unofficial results Tuesday night showed Wilson leading Burnley 54 percent to 44 percent. Wilson is set to take over in January, filling the seat currently held by Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who voters ousted from office in the election’s preliminary round in September and was therefore not on the ballot Tuesday. Both candidates campaigned on housing affordability and grappling with the city’s high cost of living. Burnley, a self-described democratic socialist, would have been the city’s first Black mayor and also the first to openly identify as queer and polyamorous. City Councilor Robert Van Campen on Tuesday defeated longtime Mayor Carlo DeMaria, a 17-year incumbent who was seeking reelection amid a $180,000 pay scandal. Van Campen received 4,118 votes to DeMaria’s 3,440, according to the city election commission. Van Campen tried to capitalize on the pay scandal during the campaign and argued that his bid for mayor was about change and restoring trust in City Hall. Voters made history Tuesday when they elected the first person of color to the top job at City Hall. The race pitted Moises Rodrigues against Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, both city councilors at-large. Rodrigues prevailed, becoming one of only a handful of mayors of color in the state. Rodrigues had previously been appointed acting mayor after the death of Mayor Bill Carpenter in 2019. He placed first in the September preliminary election in a field of eight candidates. During the campaign, Rodrigues, 64, vowed to increase the city’s commercial tax base to reduce the tax burden on homeowners and improve the quality of life for residents through such measures as safe streets, good schools, and clean neighborhoods. Mayor Paul Coogan narrowly won a fourth term Tuesday, beating challenger Gabriel “Boomer” Amaral.
