Former Salem Mayor To Run For Old Seat In Special Election

SALEM, MA — Former Salem Mayor Neil Harrington cited his credentials as an "experienced leader and skilled administrator who can steer our whole city forward during this critical transition" in announcing that he will vie for the open mayoral seat created when Kim Driscoll resigns to begin her term at lieutenant governor next month.

Harrington, who served as Salem's mayor from 1990 to 1997 and is currently the Salisbury town administrator, will hold an official kickoff to his campaign on Dec. 14 at the Hawthorne Hotel.

He becomes the second declared candidate to fill out the remaining three years of Driscoll's term after Chief of Staff Dominick Pangallo announced in October that he would run should Driscoll move on to Beacon Hill.

"I believe my background and experience prepare me to lead the city we love through this leadership change and into the future," he said on his campaign website. "I am ready for that challenge."

Driscoll was elected to her fifth term as mayor last November but was just weeks into that term when she announced she would seek the lieutenant governor position. She outlasted a crowded field of candidates to win the Democratic nomination before she and Attorney General Maura Healey easily won the general election to become the first all-women executive team to lead the state as of January.

The City Council will pick an acting mayor for Salem in January with a special election to be held to fill the remainder of Driscoll's term through the end of 2025 sometime this spring.

"With the encouragement of so many friends and supporters I am set to begin a spirited special election campaign to win voter support across the city," Harrington said.

(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.)