Teona Brown Reflects On Surprise Marlborough Council Win

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Was Marlborough City Councilor-elect Teona Brown surprised that she defeated a five-term incumbent in her first-ever run for office?

"Plain and simple: yes," she said on Monday reflecting on Election Day.

In an election year with just three competitive races on the ballot, Brown won the Ward 4 Council seat by doing basic campaigning, she said: knocking on doors, mailers, a meet-and-greet at Lost Shoe Brewing. Her hopes of winning the race were tempered by how many nice things voters had to say about incumbent Councilor Robert Tunnera, who hasn't faced a challenger since he was elected in 2010. On Election Day, Brown came out ahead by 43 votes, defeating Tunnera in both of Ward 4's voting precincts.

Brown entered the Council race in the spring, in part because she had always wanted to be a community leader in Marlborough. She spent 15 years as an educator, both as a teacher and administrator. But she found the work was keeping her away from her family. After an unexpected death in the family in 2021, Brown decided to leave the education sector — both to run for office and to be closer to home and family.

"It really was a wake-up call," she said. "Tomorrow is not promised."

As a Councilor, she says she wants to serve mainly as a communicator for Ward 4 residents, be it over the proposed new west side fire stations or meat-and-potatoes issues like traffic (she heard about both while campaigning).

Brown may also have broken a major barrier: she is very likely the first person of color ever elected to the Marlborough City Council. Race wasn't a focus of her campaign, but having city leadership reflect Marlborough's diversity is important, she said.

A week after Election Day, Brown admitted she's still a bit in shock about the win. Now she's looking forward to learning how to become a Councilor. She plans to rely on advice from her colleagues, including Tunnera, who she called an "amazingly nice man."

(She also wants to hear from as many Ward 4 residents as possible: Teona.Chin.Brown@gmail.com.)

"I want to try to take the torch and continue his work, and also learn the role and find other things I can help with in the ward and the city," Brown said.