10% Of Voters Hit Framingham Preliminary; New Faces Advance

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Nine candidates for office in Framingham left their fate up to voters on Tuesday, as preliminary elections rolled through the city. In total 1,376 voters hit the polls, ten percent of the city's registered voters.

The candidates moving onto the general election are: Christine Long and Joseph Norton for District 1 City Council, Robert Case and Noval Alexander for District 5 City Council and Jessica Barnhill and Jim Hansen for District 8 School Committee.

All of the seats are two-year terms and the crop of candidates are fresh faces, with no incumbents running among them. Candidacy announcements started early in the spring and poured into the summer months, with several sitting City Councilors announcing they will not run for re-election.

It was a close preliminary for all three races, Christine Long garnered 306 votes and took the top spot in the race by 49 votes with Joseph Norton trailing behind with 260 votes, the pair will move onto the general election — Gerald Bloomfield took 28 votes. In response to the election results Long said:

"Do thank all those loyal supporters that came out to vote for me and all those that have helped thus far to result in a successful preliminary election to top the ticket."

Robert Case gained 296 votes and was followed by Noval Alexander who had 186 votes, moving both to the general election as well — Cheryl Gordon earned 79 votes. In response to the election results, Case said:

"I want to thank all the voters, my team of campaign volunteers, and my family. The voters came out strong for me. In a field of three candidates, I am proud to have won 53% of the vote. I am looking forward now to the November 5th general election. I am determined to serve as the City Councilor for District 5 and address the issues and concerns my constituents have shared with me on the campaign trail. "

Alexander also thanked voters and his opponents upon hearing the election results:

"I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Voters of District 5 for taking time out of their busy day to cast their ballot for their candidates of choice. In particular; I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the residents who voted for me which has placed me in 2nd and has allowed me to move onto the general election on November 5th. I want to say thank you to my opponents for a solid & clean campaign, where we’ve shown civility and friendship but yet able to be competitive when debating the issues that face our District and the Framingham we care about so deeply. I wish Cheryl Gordon the very best in her future endeavors as I know she will continue to be involved and contribute to our community in various ways. During the next 6 weeks I’m looking forward to laying out more details of my Campaign platform with residents of District 5, which if elected will move Framingham in a better direction in years to come. Thank you and I’ll be seeing you all again very soon."

The School Committee race was the closest of the three on the preliminary ballot. Jessica Barnhill and Jim Hansen earned their spots in the general election with 84 votes and 64 votes respectively, but the race was still close for third place with Leslie White-Harvey earning 58 votes. In response to the election results, Barnhill said:

"A special thank you to voters of District 8 for their support today. I am humbled by your support. I promise to continue to knock on doors and talk with voters about the issues that matter."

The crop of candidates is a mix of political newcomers and board and commission veterans looking to expand their influence. This will be Framingham's second election for City Council and School Committee positions since it made the transition into a city. The mayor’s seat will not be on the ballot until 2021 — the mayor's seat has a four-year term.

Tuesday's election was nonpartisan. With the field narrowed to two candidates in each race, those left will continue to campaign for the general election on Nov. 5. with just over ten percent of registered voters turning out to the polls, elected officials are hopeful the general election sees a bigger crowd.