Koch wins reelection in Quincy. What's next for Mahoney?

QUINCY – Mayor Thomas Koch defeated Councilor-at-Large Anne Mahoney in Tuesday's election to win a seventh term. The vote was 55% to 45%.

The Koch campaign spent election night at the spacious, chandelier-lit ballroom at the Granite Links golf course. Attendants, many dressed in blue shirts with “keep the mayor mayor” written on the back, cheered Koch's reelection.

"Tonight we have a landslide victory," Koch told his supporters. "The people of Quincy voted to stay the course and continue to make this city the best city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"It’s about relationships," Koch said in his speech. "It’s about working together. We don’t agree on everything. But at the end of the day the city is thriving because we’re working together. That’s the secret sauce."

Mahoney spent election night at the Fox and Hound restaurant. Just after 10 p.m., disappointed supporters hugged and expressed pride in the campaign.

“We were able to raise the bar of the conversation,” Mahoney told The Patriot Ledger. “They can’t take that away from us.”Mahoney said her campaign brought important issues such as traffic, infrastructure and transparency to the fore. Despite the loss, she said the effort was not in vain.

“We didn’t prevail,” Mahoney said. “That doesn’t mean we did not make an impact.”

Mahoney said she contacted Koch to congratulate him and concede the election. She said she offered her help in forwarding the interests of Quincy residents.

By the numbers: Election results from Weymouth, Braintree and Quincy as they come in

Mahoney, who has held elected office in Quincy for 18 years (12 on school committee and six on the city council) said she plans to finish her term as councilor-at-large and then take a break. After that, she said she’ll find a way to continue advocating for Quincy residents.

In a close race for Ward 2 councilor, challenger Richard Ash defeated incumbent Anthony Andronico. Ash received 1,149 votes to Andronico's 1,094. Andronico joined the council in January 2021.

Incumbent James Devine defeated challenger Matthew Lyons for Ward 4 councilor. Devine's 1,499 votes topped Lyons' 1,111.

Devine, the newest member of the council, was seated in early February after prevailing in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Brian Palmucci, who was named a District Court judge by then-Gov. Charlie Baker.

Ward 6 Councilor Bill Harris defeated challenger Deborah Riley. Harris received 1,892 votes to Riley's 1,466. Harris was appointed by the city council to the Ward 6 seat in 2016 after the death of the previous councilor, Brian McNamee.

At-Large incumbents Noel DiBona and Nina Liang were reelected to their fifth terms on the council.

For the school committee, six candidates vied for three open seats. Incumbents Frank Santoro, Paul Bregoli and Kathryn Hubley were challenged by Liberty Schaaf, Vincent Tran and Courtney Perdios.

The top three vote-getters were Perdios with 8,422, Hubley with 8,210 and Bregoli with 7,497. They will serve four-year terms.

Daniel Minton ran unopposed to replace retiring Ward 5 Councilor Chuck Phelan. Scott Campbell will take the councilor-at-large seat left by Mahoney, who could not run for the council and the mayor's office simultaneously. City councilors serve two-year terms.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Koch defeats Mahoney in Quincy mayor's race