Worcester 2023 Election Full Results: New Councilors, School Committee Members

WORCESTER, MA — Full unofficial results in Worcester's 2023 municipal election are in, showing few changes for city council, but some major shakeups on the school committee under a new voting regime.

Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty declared victory shortly after polls closed, picking up a seventh term. His closest challenger, At-Large Councilor Khrystian King, trailed Petty by nearly 5,000 votes.

"THANK YOU, Worcester, from the bottom of my heart, for re-electing me to another term as YOUR Mayor and City Councilor At-Large! I look forward to another productive term, working TOGETHER to make Worcester a city where all residents can thrive," Petty tweeted just after 8:30 p.m.

King's second-place mayoral finish means he will become the vice chair of the city council, a position held over the last term by At-Large Councilor Donna Colorio.

But except for two open seats on the council — District 1 and District 4 — all the same councilors will return for new terms in 2024. In the two open districts, Jenny Pacillo handily defeated a candidate supported by a business-backed political action committee, and University Park Campus School assistant principal Luis Ojeda won the seat vacated by Sarai Rivera in District 4.

District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, District 3 Councilor George Russell and District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson all kept their seats, as did At-Large councilors Thu Nguyen, Colorio, Kate Toomey and Moe Bergman. Petty and King also won their at-large races.

"I am most humbled and grateful for the incredible honor to be re-elected to the Worcester City Council to represent the citizens of Worcester for my tenth term! Thank you for the honor placing me 2nd in a field of six! , yet again!" Toomey tweeted.

The biggest surprises of the night came in several competitive school committee races that happened under a new system for electing members following a lawsuit two years ago.

Former Worcester superintendent Maureen Binienda picked up one of two at-large committee seats, and longtime members Tracy Novick and Laura Clancey lost their at-large bids. Incumbent Sue Mailman kept her seat.

In the competitive District E race, Kathi Roy beat Nelly Medina, and in District C former member Dianna Biancheria beat Jermoh Kamara, who was running for reelection this year in her first district race.

Voters in southwest Worcester also participated in the special state Senate election to fill Anne Gobi's seat. Gardner state Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik won Worcester, but Republican candidate Peter Durant came out ahead in a district that covers most of the communities between Worcester and the Quabbin Reservoir.

Turnout in Tuesday's election hit a recent high mark at near 22 percent. About 24,600 voters cast ballots against a registered voter total of over 112,000. City Clerk Niko Vangjeli said about 5,500 voters cast ballots before Tuesday via mail-in and early voting. More people requested mail-in ballots this election than any other in history, the clerk's office said.

Here are the unofficial results reported by the clerk Tuesday night:

Mayor

• Khrystian King — 5,877
• Bill Coleman — 1,009
• Donna Colorio — 2,912
• Joseph Petty (i) — 10,687
• Guillermo Creamer Jr. — 950

City Council At-Large (pick up to six)

• Guillermo Creamer Jr. — 6,164
• Maydee Morales — 6,017
• Kate Toomey (i) — 10,252 (2)
• Bill Coleman — 5,018
• Donna Colorio (i) — 8,746 (4)
• Domenica Perrone — 6,132
• Johanna Hampton-Dance — 4,394
• Thu Nguyen (i) — 7,760 (6)
• Joseph Petty (i) — 11,144 (1)
• Morris Bergman (i) — 8,649 (5)
• Khrystian King (i) — 10,069 (3)

District 1 City Council

• Jenny Pacillo — 3,808
• David Peterson — 1,380

District 2 City Council

• Robert Bilotta — 1,389
• Candy Mero-Carlson (i) — 1,563

District 3 City Council

• George Russell (i) — 2,469
• Feanna Jattan-Singh — 817

District 4 City Council

• Katia Norford — 835
• Luis Ojeda — 916

District 5 City Council

• Jose Rivera — 3,026
• Etel Haxhiaj (i) — 3,258

School Committee At-Large (pick two)

• Sue Mailman (i) — 8,539 (2)
• Laura Clancey (i) — 5,564
• Maureen Binienda — 11,040 (1)
• Tracy O'Connell Novick (i) — 7,459

District A School Committee

• Molly McCullough — 4,011

District B School Committee

• Vanessa Alvarez — 1,469

District C School Committee

• Dianna Biancheria — 1,990
• Jermoh Kamara — 1,416

District D School Committee

• Alex Guardiola — 1,005

District E School Committee

• Nelly Medina — 1,460
• Kathi Roy — 1,558

District F School Committee

• Jermaine Johnson — 4,005

Worcester & Hampshire Senate District

• Jonathan Zlotnik (D) — 9,813
• Peter Durant (R) — 11,985