Lynn Public Schools elections (2017)
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Six seats on the Lynn Public Schools School Committee were up for general election on November 7, 2017. All seven seats on the school committee were up for election. The seventh seat on the school committee was automatically held by the mayor of Lynn, who was also up for election. Ballotpedia did not cover the mayoral race as it fell outside of municipal elections coverage.[1] Incumbents Donna M. Coppola, John E. Ford Jr., Lorraine Gately, and Jared Nicholson and newcomers Michael A. Satterwhite and Brian Castellanos won the election, defeating challengers Cherish Casey, Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio, Natasha Megie-Maddrey, and Jessica Murphy. All 10 candidates advanced from the primary election on September 12, 2017.[2][3][4]
Two new members were guaranteed to join the school committee due to open seats. Incumbents Patricia M. Capano and Maria O. Carrasco did not file to run for re-election.[5] Two newcomers also joined the school committee in the district's 2015 election due to open seats. Click here for more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Lynn School Committee consists of six elected committee members as well as the mayor of Lynn, who serves as chairman. Members serve two-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year.[5][6]
Candidates for the school committee had to be registered voters and residents of the city of Lynn. Employees of the school district could not serve as committee members. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file with the Lynn City Clerk by June 26, 2017.[1][7]
To vote in the election, citizens of the school district had to register by August 23, 2017, for the primary election, and by October 18, 2017, for the general election. Photo identification was not required to vote in Massachusetts.[1][8]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
General election
| Lynn Public Schools, At-large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donna M. Coppola Incumbent |
15.22% | 6,630 |
| John E. Ford Jr. Incumbent |
14.84% | 6,465 |
| Lorraine Gately Incumbent |
12.79% | 5,573 |
| Jared Nicholson Incumbent |
10.83% | 4,719 |
| Michael A. Satterwhite |
10.20% | 4,443 |
| Brian Castellanos |
10.02% | 4,367 |
| Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio | 8.11% | 3,532 |
| Natasha Megie-Maddrey | 6.58% | 2,868 |
| Jessica Murphy | 5.93% | 2,583 |
| Cherish Casey | 5.17% | 2,254 |
| Write-in votes | 0.32% | 138 |
| Total Votes | 43,572 | |
| Source: City of Lynn, "Election Summary Report Municipal Election Lynn, MA," accessed December 4, 2017 | ||
Primary election
| Lynn Public Schools, At-large Primary Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Donna M. Coppola Incumbent |
18.05% | 3,102 |
| Lorraine Gately Incumbent |
15.39% | 2,645 |
| John E. Ford Jr. Incumbent |
13.86% | 2,382 |
| Brian Castellanos |
10.64% | 1,828 |
| Jared Nicholson Incumbent |
10.39% | 1,786 |
| Michael A. Satterwhite |
8.68% | 1,492 |
| Jessica Murphy |
6.59% | 1,132 |
| Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio |
6.42% | 1,103 |
| Natasha Megie-Maddrey |
5.57% | 957 |
| Cherish Casey |
4.01% | 689 |
| Write-in votes | 0.4% | 68 |
| Total Votes | 17,184 | |
| Source: City of Lynn, "Election Summary Report: Preliminary Election," accessed September 12, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Note: The school committee election was nonpartisan, but candidate filings included the party enrollment of each candidate.[2] Those enrollments are included in the list below.
Donna M. Coppola 
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John E. Ford Jr.
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Lorraine Gately
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Jared Nicholson
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Cherish Casey |
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| Brian Castellanos
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Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio | Natasha Megie-Maddrey | Jessica Murphy | Michael A. Satterwhite
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2017
The Lynn School Committee election shared the ballot with elections for Lynn mayor and ward councilor.[1]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Lynn School Committee election:[1][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 26, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 23, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| September 4, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| September 12, 2017 | Primary election |
| October 18, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 30, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
| January 22, 2018 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Endorsements
The Lynn Teachers Union (LTU) endorsed incumbents Donna M. Coppola, John E. Ford Jr., Lorraine Gately, and Jared Nicholson and challengers Brian Castellanos and Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio.[10]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $51,102.62 and spent a total of $43,948.07 in the election, according to the Lynn City Elections and Voting Department.[11]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donna M. Coppola | $1,839.10 | $3,359.00 | $1,572.97 | $3,625.13 |
| John E. Ford Jr. | $19.07 | $1,575.00 | $1,076.08 | $517.99 |
| Lorraine Gately | $0.00 | $4,232.06 | $3,928.01 | $304.05 |
| Jared Nicholson | $0.00 | $15,982.99 | $15,003.41 | $979.58 |
| Cherish Casey | $0.00 | $1,774.02 | $487.93 | $1,286.09 |
| Brian Castellanos | $0.00 | $2,771.54 | $2,563.18 | $208.36 |
| Elizabeth Rosario Gervacio | $0.00 | $9,325.75 | $9,166.08 | $159.67 |
| Natasha Megie-Maddrey | $1,722.80 | $4,375.00 | $3,398.25 | $2,699.55 |
| Jessica Murphy | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Michael A. Satterwhite | $0.00 | $7,707.26 | $6,752.16 | $955.10 |
Reporting requirements
Candidates who ran in the Lynn School Committee election had to file three campaign finance reports. The first report was due on September 4, 2017, the second report was due on October 30, 2017, and the third report was due on January 22, 2018.[9]
Past elections
- See also: Past elections in Lynn Public Schools
To see results from past elections in Lynn Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Lynn School Committee election had the same percentage of incumbents running for re-election and the same average number of candidates per seat as the district's 2015 election. In both years, a total of 10 candidates filed to run per seat on the ballot for an average of 1.67 candidates per seat. Both years also saw four of the six incumbents (66.67 percent) file to run for re-election and win new terms on the board. Two newcomers were elected to the open seats both years.
In the district's 2013 election, every incumbent whose term was on the ballot ran to retain their seats, and they all won re-election. Eight candidates ran for re-election that year for an average of 1.5 candidates per seat.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Lynn Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2015 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2013 | 1.50 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Massachusetts | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.49 | 25.49% | 68.63% | 85.71% | 33.33% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district
$188.5 million ballot question rejected by voters
Over 62 percent of voters rejected a $188.5 million ballot question for Lynn Public Schools on March 21, 2017. The question was put on the ballot to build two new middle schools in the district. If the question had been approved, the new middle schools together would have housed over 1,600 students and replaced Pickering Middle School, a 100-year old building.[12][13][14]
Lynn Teachers Union President Brant Duncan, who supported the ballot question, expressed surprise at the outcome. “We knocked on doors and got great feedback from folks, so we were surprised and saddened by the outcome,” said Duncan. “I don’t know why there was such large opposition.”[12]
An organization called Protect Our Reservoir — Preserve Pine Grove came out in opposition to the ballot question. They said they wanted the land designated for one of the middle schools to instead be reserved for open space and future burial grounds.[12]
If it had passed, citizens of the school district would have been responsible for just over half of the cost of the new middle schools ($91.4 million). The rest of the cost would have been paid by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The city said the average homeowner would have paid approximately $200 more in taxes each year for 25 years.[13]
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Lynn Public Schools, Massachusetts
The Lynn school district is located in northeast Massachusetts in Essex County. The county seats are Lynn and Salem. The county was home to an estimated 779,018 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the fifth-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 14,871 students.[16]
Demographics
Essex County underperformed compared to Massachusetts as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 37.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 40.5 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Essex County was $69,068, compared to $68,563 for the entire state. The county's poverty rate was 11.5 percent, and it was also 11.5 percent statewide.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Essex County (%) | Massachusetts (%) |
| White | 86.0 | 81.8 |
| Black or African American | 6.7 | 8.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 3.8 | 6.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 20.0 | 11.5 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lynn Public Schools Massachusetts election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Lynn Public Schools | Massachusetts | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 City of Lynn Elections Office, "City of Lynn Political Calendar For 2017," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Mary Jules," City of Lynn Election Coordinator, June 28, 2017
- ↑ City of Lynn, "Election Summary Report: Preliminary Election," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ City of Lynn, "Election Summary Report Municipal Election Lynn, MA," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lynn Public Schools, "Lynn School Committee 2016-2018," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ Lynn Public Schools, "School Committee Elections," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ Lynn Public Schools, "School Committee Member Qualifications," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Identification Requirements," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Office of Campaign and Political Finance Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Campaign Finance Guide: Candidates for Municipal Office (Non-Depository)," accessed July 20, 2017
- ↑ The Daily Item, "Lynn Teachers Endorse McGee," October 30, 2017
- ↑ Lynn City Elections and Voting, "2017 Campaign Finance Reports," accessed January 25, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Itemlive.com, "LYNN SAYS NO; SO WHAT NOW?" March 22, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Itemlive.com, "LYNN VOTERS BEING PUT TO THE TEST," March 13, 2017
- ↑ Lynn City Elections and Voting, "Special Election City-Wide Sample Ballot: March 21st 2017," accessed July 20, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Essex County, Massachusetts," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
