Woburn 2021 Election Results: Galvin Wins Seventh Term

WOBURN, MA — Scott Galvin cruised to a seventh term as Woburn mayor Tuesday, in a night that was mostly smooth sailing for the city's incumbents.

All five incumbent School Committee members were re-elected, as were Ward 1 City Councilor Joanne Campbell and Ward 4 Councilor Joseph Demers.

Lou DiMambro won the open race for the Ward 6 seat. DiMambro, who works in construction, defeated Kerstin JD Lochrie with over 60 percent of the vote.

"I am humbled and honored at all the support I have received today and the last several months from family, friends and all the residents of Ward 6," DiMambro said. "I thank and appreciate each and every one of them. Now that they have brought me to this victory, I will carry on doing the best I can to encourage smart growth in Ward 6 and throughout the city using common sense and foresight."

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DiMambro said he would focus on ensuring only projects with "long-lasting benefits" to the community come to Woburn.

"With the support of my colleagues on the City Council, Mayor Galvin, and the many departments that design, run and maintain our great city, we all must make the right decisions on plans and projects that only bring long-lasting benefits to Woburn community as a whole. If they don’t, they’re a “No” vote from me," DiMambro said. "This is what I strongly believe and this is how I intend on serving my supporters. "

The exception to the incumbent sweep was in Ward 7. Charles Viola, a correctional officer with the Middlesex Sheriff's Office, defeated Ward 7 City Councilor Michael Lannan. Lannan was appointed to the seat by City Council in April, after 50 ballots. Viola had also applied for the appointment.

Viola won just over 60 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial results.

"I want to thank the voters of Ward 7 for overwhelmingly instilling their trust in me to serve as their next Alderman of Ward 7," Viola said. Thank you to family, friends, and an amazing group of campaign volunteers for their hard work, dedication, and help throughout this campaign. I look forward to serving the City of Woburn in the capacity as Alderman of Ward 7. Tomorrow the real work begins."

Viola said his campaign message of fighting "against overdevelopment, loss of open space, and traffic issues" won the day.

"As a resident, I stood up for Ward 7 residents for decades. My leadership also has made real improvements to Ward 7 as well. My message resonated with voters," he said. "My priorities as Alderman are to fight against overdevelopment, address traffic issues, preserve open space, address the street and sidewalk conditions and keep Woburn affordable for all residents."

The other City Council races were uncontested.

In the mayoral race, six-term mayor Scott Galvin won nearly two-thirds of the vote, a smaller fraction than his 2019 re-election but a resounding win nonetheless.

Galvin's challenger Ellen Crowley, the School Committee chair, conceded the race and thanked her supporters on Facebook.

"The votes are in! I did not win! I love this city and I loved every minute of my campaign," Crowley said. "Thank you everyone for the amazing support. What a journey."

Crowley noted she will remain on the School Committee, as she was not up for re-election this year.

"I am still on the SC with a renewed commitment to WPS," Crowley said.

The School Committee race was close — just 206 votes, out of 33,479 cast, separated the fifth and sixth vote-getters — but the five incumbents were all re-elected. Michael Mulrenan, the Woburn firefighter who has sat on the committee for over 20 years, garnered the most votes.

Challenger Shaun O'Keeffe congratulated the election winners on Facebook.

"Thank you to everyone for all the support," O'Keeffe said. "Results weren’t what we had hoped for but better luck next time hopefully. Congrats to all the elections winners this evening!"

Election Results

Unofficial results. Winners printed in bold type. Candidates for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Percentages may not add up to exactly 100 due to rounding.

Mayor

Councilor-At-Large (2 seats)

Councilor, Ward One

Councilor, Ward Two

Councilor, Ward Three

Councilor, Ward Four

Councilor, Ward Five

Councilor, Ward Six

Councilor, Ward Seven

School Committee (5 seats available)

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.