Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Re-Elected; Ward 4 Recount?

Updated 11:59 p.m.

SALEM, MA — Salem has re-elected Mayor Kim Driscoll following a spirited and occasionally contentious campaign against Ward 7 City Councilor Steve Dibble.

After the two candidates clashed on everything from new development to housing to student coronavirus vaccine mandates to downtown public restrooms, it was Driscoll who won the majority of support within the city with 6,472 votes (59 percent) to Dibble's 4,516 (41 percent), according to unofficial results, while nine votes separated Lev McClain and Stephanie Rodriguez in Ward 4 at the end of the night.

"I am honored and excited that the voters of Salem gave a big stamp of approval on the direction our city is taking," Driscoll posted on her Twitter account. "I could not be more proud of the many accomplishments we've achieved — together — over the years, and now that work continues on."

Driscoll's margin against Dibble was comparable to the 60-38 percent difference from the preliminary election.

"I have congratulated Kim Driscoll on her win for another term as mayor of Salem," Dibble posted in a concession about 9:45 p.m."I want to thank all my supporters! While we came up short, I am proud of the hard work, sacrifices and principles we set forth. Salem is a better place for it. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon."

It was a one-vote margin in McClain's favor when unofficial results were first posted earlier in the night that grew to nine in the final tally.

"I'm with a recount," Rodriguez posted in a video on her Facebook page when the results showed her one vote behind. "I need a margin. ... I'm not losing by one. ... I lost by one vote, which is hard for me to accept. ... Emotions are high."

It was two years ago that Megan Riccardi won her Ward 6 seat by a single vote.

There were also races for City Council At-Large and City Council ward seats and the School Committee.

Eight candidates were on the ballot for four at=large City Council seats. There were also contested races for all seven ward City Council seats.

Incumbents Conrad Prosniewski, Domingo Dominguez and Ty Hapworth retained their at-large seats, while Alice Merkl will be new to the Council.

In the unofficial results, Prosniewski was the top vote-getter at 5,707, Merkl was second at 5,348, Dominguez was third at 4,903 and Hapworth was fourth at 4,382.

"A big shout out to this group of friends and family who showed up every weekend to hold signs," Prosniewski posted on his campaign page. "I couldn't have done it without you all."

Stacia Kraft was fifth, Melissa Faulkner sixth, Juana Fernandez seventh and Fred Norton eighth.

In Ward 1, incumbent Robert McCarthy held off a challenge from Belle Steadman at 62 percent to 38 percent.

In Ward 2, Caroline Watson-Felt was able to outdistance James Zavaglia 78.3 percent to 21.7 percent.

In Ward 3, Patricia Morsillo earned 54.9 percent to David Freni's 45.1 percent.

In Ward 4, McClain has 818 votes to Rodriguez's 809 votes, according to the latest unofficial results.

In Ward 5, Jeffrey Cohen won with 68.1 percent to 31.9 percent for Stepehen Kapaintais.

In Ward 6, Riccardi has a much easier ride to her election this time around with 71.5 percent to George O'Brine's 28.5 percent.

In Ward 7, Andrew Varela held off Francis Riggieri 53 percent to 47 percent.

Candidate profiles for City Council candidates who provided them to Patch can be found here.

There were four candidates for three open school committee spots.

Incumbent Amanda Campbell was the top vote-getter with 5,422 votes, Beth Anne Cornell was second with 5,191 votes, incumbent Manny Cruz was third at 5,150 with Amerys Suarez falling short of a spot with 2,353 votes.

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(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.)