Tewksbury Town Election: Sullivan Re-Elected To School Committee

TEWKSBURY, MA —Tewksbury voters re-elected incumbent School Committee Chair Keith Sullivan Tuesday, giving him 54.9 percent of the vote in the two-candidate race. The race had under 5 percent turnout.

Challenger Sara Steele, a spa owner and mother of two, took 43 percent.

Sullivan is a home builder and remodeler and a former correction's officer. He has two children in Tewksbury Public Schools. He was first elected to the Committee in 2017.

Sullivan's focus is "improving student achievement and outcomes for all our students," he said. He also named getting the new elementary school project at the Ryan school built on time and within budget as a Committee priority.

The election was initially scheduled for April 4, but was delayed twice due to the coronavirus. According to the unofficial results, 1,058 voters cast ballot, out of over 23,000 eligible voters, for 4.6 percent turnout. In 2019, nearly 4 times that number voted, with multiple contested races and non-binding referendums.

The race was not fiercely contested, with no candidate forum or debate. Steele did not run a very active campaign, while Sullivan is dealing with legal troubles.

In February, Sullivan was arrested at a basketball game at Andover High School and charged with trespassing. He was ordered to stay away from the school pending the case's disposition, which is pending.

All other races were uncontested.

Election Results

Unofficial results. Winners printed in bold type. Candidates for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Percentages may not add up to exactly 100 due to rounding.

School Committee (3 year term) (1 seat)

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.