Salem Preliminary Election: Incumbents Advance To Nov. 5 Election

SALEM, MA — There were no major upsets in Tuesday's preliminary election in Salem, with incumbents in races for school committee and at-large seats on city council advancing to the Nov. 5 general election.

In the at-large city council race, where three incumbents and eight challengers were running for the four seats up for reelection this year, Gary Gill, Maribel Steadman and Melissa Faulkner received the fewest number of votes. They will not be listed on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.

In the school committee race, Stephen Beauparlant was the odd man out in a race featuring two incumbents and five challengers running for three seats that are up for reelection. The other six candidates move on to the final ballot in November.

Megan Riccardi and Jerry Ryan will square off in the Nov. 5 election to represent Ward 6 on Salem City Council, where incumbent Beth Gerard is not running for reelection. Just four votes divided the two, with Riccardi getting 378 votes to Ryan's 374. A third candidate, Tyler Terry, was eliminated after getting the fewest number of votes in Tuesday's preliminary election.

In Ward 3, Patti Morsillo and Robert Camire were the top two vote getters, topping Jillian Mulholland and Leo Higgins. The margin between second-place Camire and third-place Higgins was just four votes. Incumbent Lisa Peterson is running for U.S. Representative and is not running for reelection to Salem City Council.

Unofficial are posted below.

Voter turnout was 8 percent at 4 p.m. and 14 percent at 6 p.m.

Patch will be updating this story throughout the day Tuesday and will post unofficial results when they are available Tuesday night. If you have any photographs to share or stories to tell from your time going to and from the polls, email dave.copeland@patch.com.

The unofficial results from Tuesday's preliminary election are listed below. Candidates for reelection are marked with an asterisk (*). Winners are listed in bold type.

2019 Salem Preliminary Election Results

City Council, At Large

Four seats up for reelection; top eight vote recipients in preliminary election will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.

Note: Incumbent Thomas H. Furey is not running for reelection.

City Council, Ward 3

Top two vote recipients in preliminary election will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.

Note: Incumbent Lisa Peterson is running for U.S. Representative and is not running for reelection to Salem City Council.

City Council, Ward 6

Top two vote recipients in preliminary election will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.

Note: Incumbent Beth Gerard is not running for reelection.

School Committee

Three seats up for reelection; top six vote recipients in preliminary election will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.

Note: Incumbent Kristine Wilson is not seeking reelection. School Committee members Manny Cruz and Ana Nuncio are not up for reelection this year.

Related coverage on Salem Patch:

• Housing Is Key Issue In At-Large Salem City Council Race
• Salem School Committee Candidates Agree On Need To Improve