NORTHAMPTON — Ryan O’Donnell and Marlene Morin were declared the winners of the preliminary City Council election Thursday night. The pair will move on to a final election to determine a new at-large city councilor next month.
Only 9.7 percent of the city’s 20,423 registered voters turned out to choose among the four candidates, casting 2,090 votes. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the city.
O’Donnell and Morin will contest the second election Aug. 4. to fill the at-large seat vacated by Jesse Adams. Eliminated Thursday were Andrew B. Smith and Blue DuVal.
O’Donnell, current Ward 3 councilor and vice president of the City Council, was the top vote-getter of the night with 1,444 votes, while Morin came in second with 307 votes. Smith received 216 and DuVal got 104.
“It obviously feels very good, we worked very hard,” O’Donnell, 36, said after the results were announced at City Hall. “I want to congratulate my opponents. I hope we continue to talk about city issues.”
O’Donnell said a team of more than 50 volunteers aided his campaign by knocking on doors, holding signs and making phone calls. Heading into the final election, he said he will continue to talk with voters.
“There’s no special secret strategy. It’s about talking to the people that cast the votes,” O’Donnell said. “That will be the test in the coming four weeks — who represents the interests of the city and approaches them with equity.”
Morin, 62, a longtime Northampton lawyer and second-place finisher, said she will continue talking to people in the community as she steers her campaign toward the Aug. 4 election.
“I’ve learned a lot. I like that we’ve had so many discussions. It’s been great talking about downtown,” Morin said. “I’m going to keep knocking on doors and just talking to people.”
To get the word out about the election, Morin said she biked around neighborhoods, reaching out to voters.
For third-place candidate Smith, the conservation and sustainability director for the city of Holyoke, the results were “not bad for a political newcomer.”
“I am very grateful that people listened to what I had to say and decided that it was something they wanted to take a chance on. That actually means more to me than the total number of votes,” Smith said.
Smith, 37, said he plans to continue serving on the Northampton Shade Tree Committee.
Fourth-place candidate DuVal, 55, who served two terms on the School Committee, said she enjoyed the process of running for office.
“I’m looking forward to another run sometime in the future,” DuVal said by telephone Thursday night.
DuVal said low voter turnout directly affected the results, but she was not surprised due to the time of year and nature of the election. For now, she plans to spend time with her 14-year-old daughter and continue volunteering at her church and at local schools.
DuVal said she plans to support Morin in the final election.
City Clerk Wendy Mazza said earlier this week she cannot determine the official cost of the special election until the bills come in. Mazza told the Gazette in May she estimates it will be $20,000.
Though the day was muggy and the turnout percentage was in the single digits, residents at the polls said they were happy to do their civic duty. Sign-holders dotted the streets and dabbed at their foreheads in the humidity.
“I always vote. I love being able to vote,” said Marci Linker, 54, after voting at the Senior Center on Conz Street.
Linker, a Ward 4 resident, said she voted for O’Donnell because he has been a familiar face since he ran for his Ward 3 seat. Although O’Donnell does not technically represent Linker’s neighborhood, she said she feels his decisions on the City Council impact her in a positive way.
“He’s been working on City Council for the whole city the whole time,” Linker said.
Joyce Marton, 62, of Overlook Drive, voted at R.K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School Thursday afternoon. She said holding a special election is a waste of time and money, especially because the final election will be held Aug. 4.
“The city is fine as it is. I’d rather not have the city spend money on this,” Marton said. “Then we have to do it again next month.”
But Marton always votes, she said, because it gives her the right to voice her opinion on city matters.
Jamie Olander, 41, and Kelsey Flynn, 45, of Edwards Square, cast their votes Thursday evening to support their Ward 3 councilor, Ryan O’Donnell.
“We’ll be happy for the city, but sad for Ward 3 if he wins,” Olander said. “He is a great listener and he is very proactive.”
The pair said they do not mind that O’Donnell is seeking to move from his position to the at-large seat.
“It’s the nature of local democracy,” Flynn said. “And I love voting,” Olander said with a laugh.
Jim Bryda, 57, of 77 Cahillane Terrace said he is concerned that city policies could make it impossible for businesses to thrive in Northampton, so he came out to vote for Marlene Morin, someone he believes will stand up for small-business owners.
“She’s down to earth,” Bryda said. “I think she’s a tough cookie, she would be good for the city.”