Voters back Albert, McCourt in close Select Board race

There will be some new faces stepping into town leadership positions following a hotly contested local election that culminated Tuesday night at the polls.

In all, nearly 4,000 residents cast a ballot in this year’s town election, which featured races for Select Board, School Committee, and Library Board of Trustees.

Chris Albert

In what could be classified as the biggest upset of the 2023 campaign season, political newcomer and lifelong Cantonite Chris Albert rode a wave of homegrown support to the top of the Select Board ticket, winning four of seven precincts, while Lisa Lopez, the race’s lone incumbent — and the board’s only female — was ousted from her seat after finishing third in the three-person race.

Commenting on his big win on the morning after the election, Albert said the race was never “about [him] and still isn’t.”

“It was about the people of Canton and the town that I love,” he said. “I have deep roots here and always will. I ran for the people of Canton. I’m humbled by the love, support and generosity I got from so many of my friends, family and some perfect strangers. I want to thank everyone who donated their time, energy and heart into this campaign. We spent many nights all together huddled working late into the night. I will work hard for every citizen of Canton. I’m looking forward to the work that lies ahead! Thank you, Canton.”

Joining Albert as a first-time member of the town’s top executive board will be John McCourt, who bested Lopez by 154 votes to claim the second of two available seats. A fellow lifelong resident and veteran of several local boards and committees, McCourt was the top vote-getter in only one precinct (5) but had a strong showing in all of the others.

John McCourt

Lopez, by contrast, carried two precincts (2 and 3), but she finished a distant third in two others (1 and 5), which ultimately proved to be the difference in the race.

A dedicated campaigner who endured two consecutive recounts to win a seat on the board in 2020, the Yale-educated lawyer accomplished much in her three years of service, spearheading the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust and playing key roles in the establishment of the Municipal Energy Aggregation program and the town’s recent acquisition of the St. Gerard’s Church property. She had hoped to serve for at least one more term to see these and several other initiatives through, but will now be in search of her next challenge as she steps aside from the local spotlight at least for the time being.

Similar to the race for Select Board, this year’s School Committee race saw a first-time candidate — Kim McCourt — emerge as the top overall vote-getter, and she did so in convincing fashion with a clean sweep of all seven precincts. Incumbent Laura Arboleda, who had previously been appointed to the committee to fill a vacancy and then ran unopposed in 2022 for the final year left on the term, managed to hold onto her seat by finishing solidly in second place, more than 500 total votes ahead of first-time candidate Rachael Wallace.

In the other contested race on the ballot — a surprisingly robust five-way battle for three seats on the Library Board of Trustees — all three incumbents successfully won reelection, led by George Comeau, a lifelong resident and an appointed member of the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners.

Comeau, who is also a Canton Citizen columnist and local historian, carried all seven precincts, narrowly edging fellow incumbent Susan Cogliano to finish as the top vote-getter in the race. Veteran Library Trustee Betty Chelmow, who has served in the role for the better part of four decades, also held onto her post, comfortably edging first-time challengers Mindy Milman and Jay Foley by 687 and 934 votes, respectively.

Also reelected to their positions in uncontested races on Tuesday were fellow incumbents Gene Manning, who returns to the Board of Assessors; Julie Goodman, who was relected to the Board of Health; Patricia McDermott, who is headed back to the Planning Board; and Adam Brothers, who returns to the Canton Housing Authority.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Apr 7 2023. Filed under News, Town Election, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.