Five candidates vying to be Salem’s next mayor
A wide-open contest to choose Salem’s first new mayor in 17 years is picking up steam with voters set to narrow the field next month.
Five candidates are competing to succeed Kim Driscoll, who resigned as mayor in January to assume office as lieutenant governor. The two top finishers in a March 28 preliminary election will vie in a May 16 special election to complete her term, which expires in January 2026.
“Given the importance of a vacancy in the mayor’s office, we expect it will generate a lot of interest and voters will come out,” City Clerk Ilene Simons said.
Councilors last month tapped Ward 1 member Robert K. McCarthy to serve as acting mayor through the special election. Driscoll had held the seat since January 2006.
Contending for the permanent seat are McCarthy; former mayor Neil J. Harrington; Dominick Pangallo, who was Driscoll’s chief of staff; former Ward 7 councilor Stephen Dibble; and Stacia Kraft, a past candidate for City Council.
Salem State University’s Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics is partnering with local community organizations to host a Feb. 28 mayoral candidates’ forum. The 7 p.m. event will be held in the Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, 356 Lafayette St.
Registration is closed for the forum, but the event will be livestreamed at Salem Preliminary Mayoral Forum 2/28/23 - YouTube.
The race marks the first mayoral contest not featuring an incumbent since then-City Councilor Jean A. Levesque won the seat in November 1973. The council had chosen Levesque acting mayor that April after Samuel Zoll resigned as mayor after being appointed a judge.
McCarthy, who co-owns a family general contracting business, is in his eighth term as Ward 1 Councilor.
“I’ve spent the last 15 years involved in city government and have the relevant experience with what’s going on and firsthand knowledge of the issues facing us,” McCarthy said, adding that he also offers “the perspective of a small business owner.”
He said he would actively support efforts to locate a new MBTA commuter rail station near Salem State, and to build a wind marshaling yard in Salem to serve the offshore wind industry.
Harrington was mayor from 1990-97 and has been Salisbury town manager since 2003. A member of a prominent Salem family, he is a son of the late state Senate President Kevin B. Harrington.
“I believe I’m the most qualified candidate,” he said, citing his experience as both a city and town chief executive. “People are concerned with whether the city can move forward as it did under Mayor Driscoll. I can hit the ground running and ensure that progress continues.”
Harrington said he would focus on traffic issues, addressing neighborhood impacts from tourism, and easing the pace of development, along with supporting Salem’s schools.
Driscoll’s chief aide from 2013 until she left office, Pangallo is also chair of the city’s Retirement Board, co-chairs its Salem for All Ages initiative supporting local seniors, and is vice chair of the Salem Democratic committee.
“I’m especially well-suited to continue the work of the last administration because I was part of that work on a daily basis,” said Pangallo, who has Driscoll’s endorsement. “My approach is that Salem has succeeded because of professional management in City Hall and we need to make sure that continues.”
Pangallo said the “affordability of living in Salem is a significant challenge that has to be taken on proactively and thoughtfully.” A Salem public school parent, he also pledged to focus on improving the schools.
Dibble served three terms as Ward 7 councilor before losing a bid to unseat Driscoll in 2021. A senior planner for Salem from 1986-2000, he has also owned a business that designed playgrounds.
“I’m an experienced leader. I have decades of helping Salem and building hope for a better city,” Dibble said, citing his volunteer work in such areas as youth sports, scouting, environmental advocacy, and teaching chess to children.
Among his priorities, he said, would be to grow Salem’s business sector, create “truly affordable housing,” improve the schools, and combat homelessness and drug addiction.
Kraft, a professional musician, lost bids for the council in 2019 and 2021. An active volunteer, she helped create the Mack Park community garden, the Salem Flea market in Derby Square, and the annual Leslie’s Retreat historic celebration.
Citing those and other contributions she has made to the community, Kraft said she offers “My vision and ability to make things happen.”
Kraft said she strongly opposes development in the city’s flood zones, and would advocate for more affordable housing and for “preserving our city’s cultural heritage.”