Low turnout expected for Sept. 8 State Primary

Published in the September 2, 2016 edition

By DAN TOMASELLO

MELROSE — Election officials are not anticipating a big turnout for the State Primary election on Thursday, Sept. 8. Think of it more as a tune up for the Presidential Election in November, which is likely to be huge.

The polls will be open for 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who live in Ward 1, Precinct 1 will vote at the Roosevelt School. Voters who live in Ward 1, Precinct 2, will vote at the Steele House, 1 Nason Dr.

Voters will live in both Ward 2 precincts will vote at the Horace Mann School. Voters who live in both Ward 3 precincts will vote at the Beebe School. Voters who live in Ward 4, Precinct 1 will vote at City Hall. Voters who live in Ward 4, Precinct 2 will vote at the Winthrop School.

Residents who live in both Ward 5 precincts will vote at the Lincoln School. Voters who live in Ward 6, Precinct 1 will vote at City Hall. Voters who live in Ward 6, Precinct 2 will vote at the Winthrop School.

Voters who live in both Ward 7 Precincts will vote at the Hoover School.

There are 19,860 registered voters in the city as of the Aug. 19 voter registration deadline. Unenrolled voters, the legal designation for so-called “independent” voters in Massachusetts, are eligible to vote in the respective Democratic, Republican, Green-Rainbow and United Independent Party primaries.

Two contested races in the Democratic Primary will headline the State Primary. There are races for Middlesex County Sheriff and Sixth District Councillor. There is only one candidate running in the Republican Primary.

There are ballots available for the Green–Rainbow Party and the United Independent Party, but both ballots are devoid of names as neither party is fielding a single candidate for any of the five offices listed: Representative in Congress, Sixth District Councillor, State Senator, State Representative or Sheriff.

Election Administrator Linda-Lee Angiolillo is an anticipating a very low turnout next week.

“This could be the lowest turnout we have ever had,” said Lee Angiolillo. “I have talked to a lot of people who have not even heard about this election. Most people are focused on the Presidential Election in November.”

Democratic Primary

Incumbent Sheriff Peter Koutoujian is running for re–election and faces opposition from Barry S. Kelleher of Wilmington.

Koutoujian is a former assistant district attorney and former state representative, who was appointed acting sheriff in 2011 by Gov. Deval Patrick when the former sheriff committed suicide. Koutoujian ran for election and won the Sheriff’s seat outright in 2012.

On his campaign website, Koutoujian says since being appointed he has “made it my goal to bring the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office into a modern era of effective and efficient public safety, while saving taxpayer dollars and preventing criminals from reoffending.”

According to his campaign site, Kelleher is an 18–year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department and a member of the New England Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents Middlesex Corrections officers. The union has endorsed Kelleher’s candidacy.

Kelleher describes himself as “a real corrections professional who cares about the job and will care about the men and women who will keep us safe.”

In the Sixth District Councillor race, incumbent Terrence Kennedy is fending off two primary challengers as he runs for re-election. Kennedy is facing off against Stephen Borelli and Richard DiMeo, both of Boston.

Kennedy, a Lynnfield resident since 1993, has served on the Governor’s Council since being elected in 2010. He has owned a private law practice in Everett for the past 32 years, where he specializes in civil and criminal matters.

Borelli is a former police sergeant who has over 30 years of experience as a special investigator, law enforcement officer and assistant clerk magistrate.

There was no information about DiMeo in the public domain.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark is running unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Clark was elected to Congress in 2013.

State Senator Jason Lewis is running unopposed in the Democratic Primary and is vying to represent the Fifth Middlesex District once again.

State Representative Paul Brodeur is running for re-election and is running unopposed in the Democratic Primary.

Republican Primary

On the Republican ballot, Vincent Dixon of Winchester is running to represent the Fifth Middlesex District in the State Senate. The current member of the Winchester Finance Committee is running unopposed.

According to a story in the Winchester Star, Dixon said he is running to represent the Fifth Middlesex District because “there are real challenges that we must face.”

“Among a world of noise and chaos, we must work hard to keep our self-government, our local governments, our representative system and our quality of culture,” said Dixon. “Daily life means good education and continued learning in our homes, by our parents, with our neighbors; schools that teach, not over-test and not turning our people into data points and data factories.”

Dixon continued: “While people waste their time arguing about bathrooms and so-called political correctness, we must likely, rather clean up our act, and improve both our content and our style. We must be more polite and courteous. We must consider the stranger a friend whom we have not yet had the opportunity to know better.”

The Republican Party is not fielding candidates for the Fifth Congressional District, Middlesex Sheriff, Sixth District Councillor and State Representative.