Marlborough Mayoral Race: Councilor Perlman Launches 2023 Bid

MARLBOROUGH, MA — There are now two declared candidates running to replace outgoing Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant.

At-Large Councilor Samantha Perlman on Monday formally announced her campaign for mayor, saying she would continue the outreach to voters that led to her being the top vote-getter in the past two citywide elections.

"We have the opportunity to improve residents’ quality of life, tackling issues like affordability, housing, education, city services, and building upon our strong fiscal foundation," Perlman said in a news release. "I am ready to provide innovative leadership as mayor that puts residents first."

Ward 3 Councilor Christian Dumais launched his campaign for mayor in March before Vigeant announced he would not seek reelection in 2023 after some 30 years in office — and more than a decade as mayor. Dumais joined the Marlborough council after winning election in 2017.

In her first race in 2019, Perlman earned 3,331 votes in the at-large race, more than any other councilor — and nearly as many votes as Vigeant. She was also the top vote-getter in 2021, earning about 200 more votes than Vigeant that year.

Perlman, the former cultural council chair, trained to run for office through the Emerge program, whose graduates include Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and former Framingham mayor Yvonne Spicer. She is currently pursuing a law degree at Boston College, but has previously worked in the nonprofit sector.

If elected, Perlman would be Marlborough's second woman to serve as mayor. Nancy Stevens was elected mayor in 2006 and served until 2012, which is when Vigeant won his first term.

Perlman is planning to launch her campaign in public on May 10 at an event at Flying Dreams Brewery.