Gov. Healey Endorses Pangallo, Sen. Lovely Backs Harrington In Salem Mayor's Race

SALEM, MA — Gov. Maura Healey is weighing in on the Salem special election for mayor with an endorsement of former Chief of Staff Dominick Pangallo in his race against former Salem Mayor Neil Harrington.

Healey is backing Pangallo, who served as the Chief of Staff to Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll for 10 years. Driscoll threw her support behind her former top staffer shortly after Pangallo declared for the race to replace her when Driscoll was well on her way to Beacon Hill this past fall.

"I'm proud to support Dominick Pangallo for Mayor of Salem," Healey said in a statement. "Dominick has worked for the last decade to make Salem the special place that it is today. He has the experience and the vision to move Salem forward on the issues of sustainability, economic growth, education and equity."

Pangallo has racked up an extensive list of endorsements over the past six months, according to his campaign website, that includes several local and state unions and more than two dozen current or former Salem City Council and School Committee members.

Harrington boasts the endorsements of State Sen. Joan Lovely, as well as the Salem Fire Fighters Local #172, Salem Police Superior Officer's Association and Salem Police Patrolman's Association.

(Also on Patch: Salem Mayoral Candidate Visions Compare, Contrast In Video Interviews)

"Neil Harrington is best prepared and most qualified to lead our city," Lovely said in her endorsement. "He is a listener. We can count on him to respect and respond to the concerns of every resident. Neil will unite our community and move it in a positive direction. Neil's strong experience and steady hand is exactly what our city needs.

"We need a strong, experienced leader, and Neil is that leader."

Pangallo and Harrington were the top two finishers in the March 28 preliminary election to fill the final three years of five-term mayor Driscoll's term after she headed to Beacon Hill as the state's 73rd lieutenant governor.

The special election is set for May 16.

(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.)