Election dust clears: Final Barrington council seat decided by 22 votes

The race for the third seat on the town council came down to three candidates separated by 40 votes.

Republican Peter Dennehy earned the seat, capturing 3,915 votes while Independent Ann Strong, who was running for re-election, finished 22 votes back at 3,893. Democrat Melissa Horne received 3,875 votes — 18 votes behind Ms. Strong and 40 off Mr. Dennehy. 

"Although my wishes go to all the candidates for a hard fought fight, I am humbled and elated by the outcome," wrote Mr. Dennehy in a recent email. 

"Starting in mid-September I went door to door throughout most of the town in an attempt to introduce myself to Barrington voters. I was greatly assisted by friends, who introduced me in their neighborhoods. In early November I increased my presence on Facebook. Although it was cold, I remember stopping at over 100 houses the Monday before election. I ran as if it would come down to one vote. Altogether, I was able to convince additional 22 voters to side with me. Not exactly the result I envisioned, but I am thrilled and honored to be on the town council. Now the real work begins!"

Democrats Steven Boyajian and Kate Weymouth were the top vote-getters in the council race. Mr. Boyajian, a first-time candidate for the council, received 4,507 votes, while Ms. Weymouth, an incumbent, received 4,366 votes.

The race for the Barrington School Committee was also a close one. Democrat Anna Clancy, who was running for re-election, earned the most votes with 5,746, while Dr. Megan Douglas was second with 5,220 votes.

The race for the third seat was separated by just 53 votes. Independent Gina Pine won the seat with 5,006 votes while Democrat Pamela Lauria received 4,953 votes. 

"I am grateful to the support of the community in electing me for a seat for school committee," wrote Ms. Pine. "This was possible due to the help of many volunteers who assisted on my campaign as well as endorsements, canvassing, fund-raising and donations. I personally canvassed and educated the community on school initiatives while answering direct questions about my perspective on the start time initiative which was helpful in providing transparency. I also think many felt my educational and employment experience in school social work and mental health would be an added asset to the school committee."

The race for Senate District 32 seat was decided by about 1,100 votes, as incumbent Democrat Cindy Coyne topped Republican challenger Jimmy Kazounis. Ms. Coyne received 7,985 votes while Mr. Kazounis received 6,841 votes.

Mr. Kazounis shared some kind words with his opponent following the race.

"I would like to congratulate my opponent Senator Cindy Coyne on a well-run race," he wrote in a letter. "As I've said throughout my campaign, she's a terrific mom and my neighbor. We don't agree on some things but maybe I made her aware of some concerns her district has. She knows where she can always find a good plumber. And to her family who sacrificed time and effort, I know personally the toll and thank them as well for supporting her in her run."

Write-in candidate Jan Malik and Libertarian Daryl Gould fell short in their bids to defeat challenger Jason Knight in the race for House District 67. Mr. Knight defeated incumbent Jan Malik in the Democratic primary and won handily in the general election. Mr. Knight finished with 3,722 votes, while Mr. Gould received 1,710 and the write-in tally was 1,037.

“I talked to Jason yesterday morning (Nov. 9) and congratulated him before the voting was even over,” Mr. Malik said. “It wasn’t a stunner to me; I knew this was an uphill battle.”

Mr. Malik said he decided to stage a write-in campaign at the request of friends and associates, but knew all along that the odds of him winning were long. He said he’s not disappointed in the result, and is already looking forward to his next step — heading to South Carolina on a golf vacation with Sen. Walter Felag and eight other friends from Warren. 

As for the race, he said he appreciates that both Mr. Gould and Mr. Knight ran clean campaigns.

“There was no mud-slinging,” he said. “It was very clean. And I wish Jason the best. Now the job for all of us is to work together to make Warren and Barrington better.”

Voting machine

An error with the voting machine at Sowams School forced the lengthy delay on Tuesday night, and left some candidates unsure if they had won or lost.

But by about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officials at the Rhode Island Board of Elections had posted the tallies from all five Barrington polling locations, including Sowams School.

The vote totals were still incomplete until Thursday, when approximately 1,000 mail-in ballots were counted.