Paul Brodeur, Monica Medeiros Ready For Melrose Mayoral Race

MELROSE, MA — Midway through Paul Brodeur's victory speech at his campaign headquarters in the old Papa Gino's Tuesday night, Monica Medeiros burst in to congratulate him. Seven weeks before the two share a ballot, they shared a celebration.

Brodeur, a state representative, and Medeiros, an at-large alderman, were the top two finishers in Melrose's preliminary mayoral election, emerging from a field of five candidates to set up a race for the city's first open mayoral seat in nearly two decades.

The mayoral election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Brodeur led vote-getters Tuesday with 2,576, while Medeiros had 2,397, according to unofficial results. Former Director of Community Services and City Operations Jackie Lavender Bird (1,455,) Alderman Mike Zwirko (866) and Alderman Manisha Bewtra (706) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Watch Brodeur and Medeiros meet in Brodeur's victory speech, as well part of Medeiros's victory speech, in the videos below.

"This is really like a dream come true," Brodeur told supporters.

"I think Melrose decided tonight as a community that community matters," he continued.

Medeiros was optimistic in talking to Patch outside her party at the VFW.

"I am very enthusiastic about the task at hand to be able to have this opportunity for myself and really all woman," she said.

Medeiros would be the first woman elected mayor by Melrose voters.

"Melrose is such a forward-thinking city and we've never elected a woman in all these years," Medeiros said. "I know that weight is on my shoulders and I'm not going to let people down."

Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free for the most comprehensive, real-time coverage on the mayoral race and other local news.

Voters at the polls picked just one of the five candidates, with the top two vote-getters advancing to Nov. 5 to decide who will become the first newly elected mayor of Melrose since Rob Dolan in 2001.

Current Mayor Gail Infurna is finishing out the second half of Dolan's term after he left at the beginning of last year to become Lynnfield's town administrator. Infurna said before she was elected by the Board of Aldermen she would not run for mayor.

Infurna's unique circumstance triggered what her team called an "operational glitch" in the City Charter that will see the new mayor take over immediately after the results are certified in November. Infurna's administration tried to extend her term until the end of the year for what it said would be a smoother transition period, but the Board of Aldermen shot that down.