Sadly,Furey got reelected. Considering the results in 3 and 5, too bad Charlie Walsh didn't stay in the race in 6! Maybe there will be more civility on the council. Pelletier has been a bully and an embarassment!

Looks as if according to your poll no one is happy with the results of the election! But if they're un-happy then why didn't they go out to vote. With only 21 percent of us going to vote it shows no one cares for this city and everyone is a fake who moves here.

I think the faiure of Pinto and Ronan is a result of the mayor's right to speak issue. These two guys had the nerve to stand up to a mayor that talks endlessly on issues she supports. The real unfortunate thing is that every city councilor still has the right to block her under certain conditions. It's a rule they stood up for and it cost them their seats.If this results in giving the mayor more power on the big issues then we have gone two steps backwards. As for ward three, the entire city should be glad for this over due change.

Joan Lovely explained it very well. The mayor always has the right to speak,but when a topic is closed for outside discussion, the council has the right to stop her and everyone else except council members from discussing and voting on the issue. That is the job of the council and the mayor does not have a vote.The way she babbles on about how her way is the best and only way reminds me of fillabusting.She interferes with the councils ability to do the job of counciling. She gets more face time in the Salem News then anyone in Salem and they would be glad to print whatever she wants to say for the whole city to read and not just the council.

Make what known? She speaks and sits down and wants to continue to speak again and again.In this case she and her supporters did not have the votes so she wanted to continue talking about the issue she had no support for.The effort was made to stop dragging the issue out so the council could take the vote.Lets look at her track record.She wants to spend 4 million on a windmill,turn the transfer station over to become the garbage dump of the northshore.give big raises to a choosen few and cut healthcare benifits to city workers. Someone needs to control this out of control behavior.If we have money to spend on windmills, why don't we have money to stop cutting healthcare? $180k for a new school boss,$65k for a harbormaster who should be a part time employee.How about taking say $2 million and doing something,anything, with Winter Island?

Is the lease issue the same issue she was blocked from speaking about? If not then why did she not speak on this important issue? I don't see the connection. Am I missing something?

John,

You are absolutely correct. She spoke twice to the council on the issue and wanted to say the same thing a third time. Why?? Councilors were tired of it and stopped her. She keeps coming back time and again to say the same things over and over again. Bottom line is nothing much changed after yesterday. She doesn't have enough votes for a lot of things and yet she gives her buddies pay raises while cutting pay of hard working people in the city.

It is very confusing to try and understand why factual information in a small city like Salem is hard to verify. I was at both council forums and Lovely and Sargent both stated publicly that the mayor had spoken and that the rules allow a coincilor to object to her speaking again by rule. It has been done before and it remains to be an option in the future under the rules.

Well I would say shocking results .How Furey gets in is beyond me .As for Darek B he had a mini pack,and the city hall behind him with the goal to oust Pinto .To bad it backfired and Carr got in via an electronic call system to get the vote out .This is the new way to get out the vote .email facebook ect.face to face is gone .

At least now I hope we don't have to watch madam Mayor do hissey fits when questioned or does not get her way .
One other thing to note is the number of blank votes and writein for ward 1 council .Might just be a wake up call .

I came away from the debates feeling that Carr was another yes man to the mayors agenda. He seemed to answer questions with non-specific replies and he has been working with the mayor in the schools. Once again the transfer station shows that the supporters don't live near by and have total disregard for the quality of life for those who do.He also said that the windmill would look good and be a possible tourist attraction. WOW. I think the mayor will take Carr over pinto.

John There you go, you have it spot on ! Welcome to the new yes mam council .Watching the meetings will be better than a soap !

Well if you disagree with the mayor, tell your councilor. They're supposed to be voting your way. If they hear nothing, expect them to vote with the crowd or mayor.

As a note here, because I think it just needs to be said. City Councilors are not elected to "vote your way." Your way not may not be the way of your neighbor, or even your brother. A city councilor is elected to make decisions, based on available information, that are best for the city first, and there ward second. If some running for office told me he would always vote "my way" I would mark him as a liar and a fool.

How was the Washington st annex good for the city?
Councilors are expected to voice their constituencies way. Or at least educate their constituency as to why they voted that way.

If that's not how it works, I don't think I want to live here anymore. The constant loss of a voice of the public is getting bad. Councilors really should be the first level of access for the citizens.

You are some what correct Will, but when it come to reelection we vote in response to how they respond to our needs .Jared /Will please look at my comment about blank votes and writeins

Jared, I was not claiming any vote, made at any time, by any one councilor was good for the city. I was just making a statement as to how the council system (Plan B government) is supposed to work.

Councilors with every vote they make, are expressing the desires of a constituency. At the same time, with the very same vote, they are going against the desires of a constituency. This is the nature of the beast.

I want to know who got write ins in ward 2

Let me make another point about the transfer station because it is obviously very important to me. Every councilor took one of two roads.A definate no or maybe if we can work out the concerns with NSC.The maybe response is basiclly saying you will vote for it based on my following opinion.The mayor and NSC will stop at nothing to get this deal done.They will put restrictions to satisfy the maybe's and the rest will be history. Just like the past ten years the mayor will turn her head and say we can't stop them without hurting ourselves as a city.The city strung it out and want to force it on the taxpayers. How can any councilor support a garbage station in the middle of historic Salem. Look around these types of facilities are never put in the middle of residential/business locations.Is it good for the city check book? Yes. Does that make it right? No.Best for the city over ward on every issue? No way.

may I ask if you've lived there since before it was a transfer station? Did you live there when it was an active incinerator?

I really don't see traffic as being too much of an issue on that part of 107... there's a dedicated left turn only and right turn only lane going onto Swampscott Road.
The current transfer station locale is directly behind the Home Depot
The only houses in that area are the condos up on the hill.
My god parents lived there for years and I never smelled anything or had any problems getting to their house. And this was back when Caldor was still around...

Not to mention, isn't there a giant quarry on that street with trucks going in and out already?

If you were on Highland Ave and wanted to go to either Swampscott or Marblehead you would go down Swampscott road. I don't think the station was open at all when Caldor was here. If you are not seeing the traffic you are not using Highland Ave at peak times.The amount of residential traffic using that road is hugh and growing all the time. I have lived off Highland for over 30 years and I am sure of my facts.