Mike Cahill Wins Re-Election As Beverly Mayor, Ballot Questions Pass

UPDATED 10:45 p.m.

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly voters backed Mike Cahill for re-election as mayor in a clean sweep of wards at the same time they narrowly approved the increase in the mayoral term from two to four years starting in the next election cycle, according to unofficial results on Tuesday.

Cahill fended off a challenge from business owner Jamie Zarella, winning by about 2,500 votes in a race where 9,908 votes were cast, in unofficial results.

The ballot questions all passed as well — though two by wider margins than the other.

Question 1 on City Councilors and School Committee members finishing out their terms if they move within the city won by about a two-to-one margin.

Question 2 on extending the mayor term from two to four years starting in 2025 won by a much slimmer margin of 4,951 to 4,539.

Question 3 on expanding the School Committee won by a similar two-to-one margin as Question 1.

Julie Flowers will once again serve as City Council president as she gained the most votes of the three candidates for City Councilor At-Large.

The only other contested race on the ballot was in Ward 3 in the School Committee race between Kimberly Coelho and Geraldine Cahill where Coelho won by a 634 to 459 margin.

Ballot Questions

1. To allow City Council and School Committee members to serve out their terms if they move to a different ward while remaining in the city, in the first 18 months of a term.

Yes 6,567

No 2,696

2. To extend the mayoral term from two to four years (effective 2025).

Yes 4,951

No 4,359

3. To add two new "district" School Committee members (effective 2025).

Yes 6,335

No 2,888

Mayor (Vote for 1)

Michael Cahill 6,099

Jamie Zarella 3,598

City Council

At-Large (Vote for 3)

Julie Flowers 7,344

Brendan Sweeney 6,348

Hannah Bowen 5,896

Ward 1 (Vote for 1)

Todd Rotondo 1,747

Ward 2 (Vote for 1)

Danielle Spang 1,204

Ward 3 (Vote for 1)

Steven Crowley 1,000

Ward 4 (Vote for 1)

Scott Houseman 1,412

Ward 5 (Vote for 1)

Kathleen Feldman 1,195

Ward 6 (Vote for 1)

Matthew St. Hilaire 1,591

School Committee

Ward 1 (Vote for 1)

Rachael Abell 1,459

Ward 2 (Vote for 1)

Kennan McKenzie-DeFranza 1,083

Ward 3 (Vote for 1)

Kimberly Jo Coelho 634

Geraldine Cahill 459

Ward 4 (Vote for 1)

Jeffrey Silva 1,339

Ward 5 (Vote for 1)

Kaarin Robinson 1,102

Ward 6 (Vote for 1)

Lorinda Visnick 1,398