Special Election Dates For New Salem Mayor Proposed

SALEM, MA — A preliminary election to fill the vacancy of Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll once she resigns as Salem mayor next week is proposed for March 28 with a final special election to replace Driscoll through the end of the current term proposed for May 16.

Accepting the proposal — pending State House passage of the home-rule petition that extends the window between the preliminary election and the final election from three weeks, which is in the city charter, to between six and eight weeks — is on the agenda of a busy City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday. That meeting will also include an address from Driscoll before her resignation after 17 years as the city's first woman mayor, a City Council election of one of its own to become acting mayor until the special election and the reorganization of the City Council while one of the councilors is acting mayor.

Driscoll, who was elected as lieutenant governor along with Gov.-elect Maura Healey in November, notified the City Council earlier this month that she intends to resign her position in Salem following her remarks at the first Council meeting of 2023.

"As I prepare to step away from this role and into a new one, I could not be prouder or more satisfied with the work that has been accomplished since I first entered office in January 2005," she said in the letter. "We — together — have transformed Salem into a vibrant, thriving, and successful community. We fixed bad practices of the past to professionalize municipal operations, rebuild city finances, improve transparency in government, and engage more resident participation.

"Salem, today, has a new focus on equity, sustainability, professionalism, and livability, all of which is a direct result of intentional actions we have taken and so many of which I am proud to have had the opportunity to initiate and lead."

Three early candidates have declared they are running to replace Driscoll — current Chief of Staff Dominick Pangallo, former Salem Mayor Neil Harrington and businessman Skip Bensley.

Under the calendar proposal, the last day for taking out nomination papers for the special election would be Feb. 3, and the last day to submit certified nomination papers would be Feb. 21, with a final candidate list posted on Feb. 23.

The preliminary election will be necessary if there are three or more candidates who pull and return certified nomination papers. The top two vote-getters in the preliminary election would then move on to a final special election in that case.

The councilor who is selected to become acting mayor on Wednesday will retake his or her seat on the City Council once the next mayor is elected in May — unless that person runs for and wins the mayor's seat.

The winner of the special election will serve out the remaining 2 1/2 years of the term that Driscoll was elected to in November 2021.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)