Salem mayor's race triggers preliminary

Jul. 28—SALEM — Salem elections sure do love one-point margins.

Voters throughout the entire city will be called to settle a three-way mayoral race in a Salem-wide preliminary election on Tuesday, Sept. 14, ahead of the final election day on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Nomination papers to run for office needed to be returned by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The need for a city-wide preliminary vote comes with two Salem residents vying to unseat four-term Mayor Kim Driscoll, according to the city's elections office: Ward 7 City Councilor Steve Dibble, who returned a convincing 697 signatures to be certified with a goal of 100; and Mason Street resident Frank Perley III, who's last-minute returns of papers put him at exactly 100 certified signatures as the deadline arrived Tuesday afternoon.

The situation is reminiscent of the city's last municipal elections, when Ward 6 City Councilor Meg Riccardi topped City Council veteran Jerry Ryan by a single vote. That vote was validated by a recount and Superior Court trial, and it remains subject to an appeal in front of the state's Appellate Court.

Several residents returned nomination papers on Monday and Tuesday. By the time the elections office closed at 5 p.m., eight candidates were still in the queue to have signatures certified. As such, it remains unclear whether Wards 2 and 4 will also have preliminary contests, with two residents certified in each race and a third awaiting certification.

Wards 1 and 7, however, are already guaranteed to have preliminary voting. In Ward 1, City Council veteran Bob McCarthy faces a challenge from two residents — Christopher Malstrom Jr. and Maribel Steadman. Ward 7, meanwhile, has three residents competing for the seat left open by Dibble as he runs for mayor.

Dibble said he submitted 697 signatures because "so many residents wanted a positive change, and many tracked me down asking to sign in support."

Driscoll, when asked to comment on the election season ahead, said the COVID-19 pandemic "had made the last year a challenging one for everyone in local government — and we're not out of the woods yet."

"I love the work, and I'm optimistic about our city's future," Driscoll said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to talk with Salem voters about how we continue to move Salem forward, making it a city that truly works for and welcomes everyone."

Perley, meanwhile, said he's devoted to the city's strength "and understanding the diversity of our differences."

"My priorities begin with understanding the people of Salem and providing reasonable resolutions of adequate adjustment," Perley said.

Dibble wasn't the only person putting an exclamation point on the end of the season by returning far more signatures than necessary. City Councilor-at-large Domingo Dominguez, whose signs are frequently popping up alongside Dibble's around the city, returned 459 signatures on Monday as well. Joining him in the at-large race is Stacia Kraft, a Federal Street resident who pulled papers at the last minute Friday and returned them Tuesday with 290 signatures on Tuesday. Dibble and Dominguez are also still awaiting certification.

Kraft enters the race after first pulling papers in April to run for mayor and organizing with the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF), a campaign she formally dissolved in June. Her nomination papers for City Councilor-at-large were pulled just as the deadline passed on Friday, and it indicated an upcoming end to 10-term City Councilor-at-large Arthur Sargent's run on the City Council, after he didn't pull papers.

The School Committee also stands to lose Ana Nuncio, who was elected to a four-year term in 2017 but didn't run for re-election.

The deadline to register for voting in the preliminary elections is Wednesday, Aug. 25, and the deadline to register for the Nov. 2 elections is Wednesday, Oct. 13.

Campaign finance issues continue

Throughout the early election season, Dibble has also drawn attention for not disclosing his campaign spending and contributions, and filing to organize nearly two months after soliciting donations for his mayoral campaign on social media as far back as May. The OCPF has responded to questions about Dibble by saying they can't publicly comment on specific candidates, but that all campaigns must organize and file with the OCPF before accepting or using any donations at all.

Dibble again declined to provide access to his campaign's financial dealings this week, after first agreeing to provide access to them by July 2 and then later saying they'd be filed with the OCPF immediately after a campaign kickoff on July 6. No records were available on the OCPF's filer index as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In the time since Dibble's kickoff, Driscoll's campaign has listed 32 donations totaling $6,265 and a single expense for $200.49 to cover an Act Blue merchant fee. Perley hasn't yet organized with OCPF, though there is currently no evidence suggesting he has been soliciting donations or spending campaign funds.

To respond to this story or suggest another, contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.

SEPT. 14 PRELIMINARY ELECTION

MAYOR (Select 1): Steve Dibble*, Kim Driscoll, Frank Perley III

WARD 1 (Select 1): Christopher Malstrom Jr., Robert McCarthy, Maribel Steadman

WARD 2 (Select 1): Armand Blanchette*, Caroline Watson-Felt, James Zavaglia

WARD 4 (Select 1): Leveille "Lev" McClain, Graysen Martinez Ocasio*, Stephanie Rodriguez

WARD 7 (Select 1): Veronica Faustino, Francis Riggieri, Andrew Varela

* Candidate Awaiting Certification. If this candidate fails to certify, a preliminary election will not be needed and the race will move to select one person on Nov. 2. Bold Denotes Incumbent

RACES TO BE DECIDED NOV. 2

CITY COUNCILOR-AT-LARGE (Select 4): Domingo Dominguez*, Melissa Faulkner*, Ty Hapworth, Stacia Kraft*, Alice Merkl, Frederic Norton*, Conrad Prosniewski

WARD 3 (Select 1): David Freni, Patricia Morsillo

WARD 5 (Select 1): Jeff Cohen, Stephen Kapantais Jr.

WARD 6 (Select 1): Megan Riccardi, George O'Brine

SCHOOL COMMITTEE (Select 3): Amanda Campbell, Beth Anne Cornell, Manny Cruz*, Zachary Hall, Armerys Suarez

* Candidate Awaiting Certification. Bold Denotes Incumbent