3 Candidates On Beverly State Representative Special Election Primary Ballots

BEVERLY, MA — Democrats will choose between two sitting City Councilors in the upcoming special election primary ballot — while there is one candidate on the Republican primary ballot — in the race to fill the seat vacated when longtime Rep. Jerry Parisella was appointed as Associate Justice of the State Judicial Court.

City Councilors Hannah Bowen and Todd Rotondo will be on the Democrat ballot and former Beverly Chamber of Commerce President Medley Long is on the Republican ballot for the April 15 primary, according to the City Clerk's office.

Voting will take place at the customary six polling locations even though the City Council did approve holding all voting at the high school for this election.

City Clerk Lisa Kent told Patch that the home-rule petition necessary to advance the change in polling locations never materialized on Beacon Hill because with Parisella's seat vacant, there was no Beverly representative to advance it.

Polling hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the election at the following location:

Ward 1, Precincts 1 & 2: Ayers-Ryal Side Elementary School, 40 Woodland Avenue
Ward 2, Precincts 1 & 2: Beverly Public Library, Winter Street Entrance
Ward 3, Precincts 1 & 2: McKeown School, 70 Balch Street
Ward 4, Precincts 1 & 2: Cove Elementary School, 20 Eisenhower Avenue
Ward 5, Precincts 1 & 2: North Beverly Elementary School, 48 Putnam Street
Ward 6, Precincts 1 & 2: Centerville Elementary School, 17 Hull Street

The winners of the two primaries — with Long the presumed Republican winner as the only candidate on the ballot — will face off in the special election for the Special State Essex 6th District Representative election on May 13.

The seat represents all of Beverly and Precinct 1 in Wenham.

Parisella was elected to his eighth term in November before Gov. Maura Healey nominated him to the District Court as her 50th judicial nomination last month.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)