Connolly, Lopez prevail on drama-filled election night

Click here for the official results from Tuesday’s town election.

Chris Connolly topped the ticket for the second time in three years and Lisa Lopez eked out a narrow victory over incumbent Tom Theodore in another thrilling, down-to-the-wire finish for a Board of Selectmen race in Canton.

Last year it was Lopez who, as a first-time candidate, found herself on the losing side in a historically close race that saw her trailing Michael Loughran by just one vote at the end of election night. (Loughran would go on to win by three votes after a recount.)

Selectman-elect Lisa Lopez holds campaign signs on election day. (Mike Tureski photo)

This time, in a stunning late-night reversal, Lopez overcame what had appeared to be a 13-vote shortfall in the unofficial tally to capture the second open seat by seven votes, 2,249 to 2,242. The difference was in the few dozen ballots that could not be read by the voting machines and had to be hand-counted after the close of polls.

According to the Town Clerk’s office, the seven-vote margin is well within the range that would allow for a recount, although it would be up to Theodore to formally request one. Theodore, who could not be reached for comment as of press time, would also have to obtain 10 valid signatures from each of the six voting precincts. Assistant Town Clerk Gale McHugo said they would also need to seek guidance from the state on how to execute the recount, if requested, due to the public health restrictions in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for Lopez, she said by phone on Wednesday morning that the reality of her victory had not fully “sunk in” yet but that it further underscored for her the takeaway from last year’s election that “every vote counts.” She said it became a constant refrain throughout her campaign and propelled her and her supporters to work “harder and smarter.”

“The experience last year I think taught people that ‘retail politics’ is all about person to person to person,” Lopez said. “People want to be asked. They want to be involved. They deserve to be listened to and, quite honestly, that’s a large part of the personal satisfaction [derived from this win].”

In winning a seat, Lopez now becomes just the third female selectman in Canton political history — after Sheila Cheimets and Avril Elkort — and the significance of that accomplishment is not lost on her.

“Certainly there are many, many women who have enormous amounts of talent and qualifications and skillsets who I think ought to be among those who are participating more actively in local government, and I think the win, because they told me, kind of vindicates that and it shows that even when the odds are tough against long-term, well-known incumbents, campaigns matter — and campaigns of substance matter. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s the 100-year anniversary of the 19^th Amendment (giving women the right to vote), and the effective date is on my birthday so I’ll enjoy that day this year.”

Lopez was also particularly pleased with the increased voter turnout seen this year — in the midst of a pandemic no less — as thousands took advantage of the opportunity to vote early by mail. She said pushing the mail-in votes was a big part of her campaign strategy and when people were “given the tools and the information was made accessible to them,” they cast votes in significantly higher numbers.

All told, there were 4,235 ballots cast, which equates to a turnout of approximately 25 percent. Last year, by comparison, a total of 3,061 voters made their way to the polls.

Connolly, the current BOS chair and this year’s overall winner, was chosen on 58.3 percent of the ballots (2,468 votes) and carried four of six precincts. This marked an improvement over his initial election win in 2017, when he also finished first in a four-person field and won four precincts with 52.5 percent of the vote.

In an email to the Citizen on Wednesday morning, Connolly said it was a “great honor” to get re-elected and he wanted to thank the voters for their support.

“I look forward to working for the town for three more years,” he said. “I could not have accomplished this victory without the hard work and support of my wife and kids, as well as our Canton family — the McGowans, Delellos, and Goyetchs. I also want to recognize the hard work and professionalism of our campaign team. Thank you to all.”

In addition to the four precincts won by Connolly, Theodore narrowly won precinct 1 while Lopez prevailed in precinct 3. Both were selected on roughly 53 percent of the ballots, while a fourth candidate, newcomer Joe Amrhein, finished with 344 votes (8.1 percent).

In the other contested race in Tuesday’s town election, Kendall O’Halloran’s late bid to secure a School Committee seat as a write-in fell well short as many voters had already cast an early ballot for incumbent Nichola Gallagher and newcomer Charles Rae.

Rae, who ran for the seat that’s being vacated by longtime School Committee member Reuki Schutt, was the overall winner with 2,524 votes, while Gallagher was reelected with 2,457 votes. O’Halloran received 693 mostly in-person votes, and 2,771 ballots left at least one of the School Committee spots blank.

The remaining offices on the ballot were all uncontested and several incumbents were reelected, including Gene Manning (Board of Assessors), David McCarthy (Planning Board), Julie Goodman (Board of Health), Sue Cogliano (Library Trustees), and George Comeau (Library Trustees). Anjali Schutt, who had been temporarily appointed to the Board of Health to fill a vacancy, was elected for two more years while Betty Chelmow, a former longtime library trustee, returned to that board after running unopposed as a write-in candidate.

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