Beverly Elections 2017: Who Won?

BEVERLY, MA — Although Mayor Michael Cahill was running unopposed, as were all the candidates for school committee, there were three at-large city council seats up for grabs and, seats open across the city council made election day a day to vote in Beverly.

One contested race it came down to 10 votes. It could have come down to you.

There are a little more than 41,000 people in Beverly. But only a fraction voted, according to the city clerk. As of 2 p.m. exactly 3,304 or 12 percent of 27,739 registered voters in the city had cast a vote, according to the clerk. Then by 6 p.m. 5,515 or roughly 20 percent of registered voters had cast votes. By the end of the day the clerk said some 23.3 percent voted.

"Many people take the right to vote for granted. In most elections, fewer than half of the registered voters even show up. This would likely horrify our Founding Fathers who went to war with the greatest military power in the world in part because they could not vote for the people who made the decisions that affected their lives," reads the city's website in an election message.

"As American citizens, we have a right to vote in a free and fair election. In order for that to happen, we also have certain responsibilities that go along with that right," it goes on.

The point? Votes count.

Who was running?

The stakes were highest in the At-Large race where six candidates were vying for three seats.

Incumbents Paul Guanci, who currently serves as council president keeps his seat as council president, and Matt St. Hilaire went up against former City Councilor Tim Flaherty and newcomers Esther Ngotho, Brian D Apice and Julie Flowers but lost.

It was a tight race for Hilaire and Flaherty - just 10 votes a part.

• City Councilors at Large: Paul Guanci, 4273 votes – Council President (elected)
• Julie Flowers, 3451 votes (elected)
• Timothy Flaherty, 3,170 votes (elected)
• Matthew St. Hilaire, 3,160 votes
• Esther Ngotho, 1479 votes
• Brian D’Apice, 653 votes

The councilor who gets the most votes for the At-Large City Council becomes the council president for the next two years. Guanci keeps that title.

Then In Ward 3, there were two candidates vying for the City Council seat.

• Incumbent James Latter, 462 votes (elected)
• Euplio “Rick” Marciano, 323 votes
  

The break down: Latter 192 in 3-1; 270 in 3-2 Marciano 117 in 3-1; 206 in 3-2

Where to vote?
Ward 1 – Precincts 1 & 2: Ayers-Ryal Side Elementary School, 40 Woodland Ave.
Ward 2 – Precincts 1 & 2: Beverly Public Library, 32 Essex St. (use Winter Street entrance)
Ward 3 – Precincts 1 & 2: McKeown School, 70 Balch St.
Ward 4 – Precincts 1 & 2: Cove Elementary School, 20 Eisenhower Ave.
Ward 5 – Precincts 1 & 2: North Beverly Elementary School, 48 Putnam St.
Ward 6 – Precincts 1 & 2: Centerville Elementary School, 17 Hull St.
Not sure which Ward you're in? Check here: www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx

Have a photo that epitomizes election day in Beverly? Send it to us at jenna.fisher@patch.com, don't forget to tell us what time and where in the city it was taken and we'll feature it here. Happy Voting Day. Thank you for reading.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch