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A low-turnout preliminary saw 5.7% of New Bedford’s registered voters cast their ballots on Tuesday to determine which at-large councilors will advance to the Nov. 4 general election. Challengers Devin Byrnes and James Roy had a good night, while incumbent Naomi Carney lost ground to the challengers. 

Of the 12 candidates, only Ian Saunders and Carlos Maiato will not advance to the next round. For the remaining candidates, Tuesday’s results offer a glimpse into what voters are thinking ahead of the general election.

Ian Abreu, the top vote-getter by a margin of almost 400 votes (a 2.5% margin ahead of the next closest candidate), said, “I feel honored that the residents of New Bedford have put their faith in the work I’ve done over the last 10 years … I’m going to continue to work as hard as I’ve ever worked.”

Shane Burgo and Brian Gomes were the other incumbents in the top five, while Naomi Carney finished seventh. In November, the top five finishers will win an at-large seat. 

Byrnes and Roy finished inside the top five, earning nearly identical vote totals and putting themselves in a competitive position ahead of the general election. 

“I’m hopeful, and more than anything I’m thankful,” said Byrnes, the owner of the downtown restaurant, Destination Soups. 

Roy said, “This campaign has been about building relationships and making New Bedford a better place to live. And it’s working.”

Naomi Carney, the only incumbent who fell outside the top five, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. 

Voters themselves noticed the low turnout on Election Day. “Nobody bothers to come out to vote,” said Joseph Tavares, 73. As the sun set at Tavares’ Ward 2 polling place, the Alma del Mar school’s Ottiwell campus, he cast only the 36th ballot of the day in his precinct, just after 6 p.m. 

“If you care about this city, you show up,” Tavares said. 

In Ward 3, only 29 people had cast a ballot in the 3A precinct by 7 p.m.; only 18 voters in the 3C precinct. The ongoing I-195 construction outside of the Hayden-McFadden school moved the voting location for these two precincts, so the 3A and 3C voters were joining their 3E neighbors at the Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.

Scenes from Tuesday’s preliminary elections. Credit: Eleonora Bianchi / The New Bedford Light

But not all precincts missed expectations. At the Buttonwood Warming Center, where precincts 5E and 5F cast their ballots, more than 500 total votes were cast before 7 p.m. Longtime poll worker Bea Medeiros said that it was a higher turnout than she expected. 

Ward 5 precincts, in the wealthier West End, averaged the highest turnout, including four polling places with double digit turnout percentages (out of five such precincts city-wide).

The 5.7% turnout, while low, is not out of line with the declining enthusiasm for local elections in New Bedford. In the last local preliminary, in 2021, only 6% of voters turned out — though only Ward 5 voters had a contested preliminary that year. 

In the 2019 preliminary, which included a mayoral race, an at-large race, and two ward races, there was a 9.5% turnout. 

Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org

13 replies on “New Bedford challengers among top 5 in at-large councilor preliminary election”

  1. The city really needs to wake up before the final election, re-electing the incumbent councilors will do nothing to solve New Bedford’s problems. They have no new ideas, bring the same old promises, and for years have all rolled over and done nothing to stop Mayor Mitchell’s bloated budgets, expansion of city government, and rising taxes. Knowing that the Council just passed the Mayor’s last budget and taxes will be going up again shortly, it’s a real shame to see only 6% of New Bedford residents could take the time to get out and vote.

      1. We can’t expect changes if we keep re-electing the same people. It’s time for new ideas which means time for new faces. Please vote New !

  2. The New Bedford Light’s election coverage is a great community service. I have been reading the Light since it began, but realize that not everyone in our community knows about it. I plan to do my best to spread the word and hope that other readers will do the same.

    Prior to this primary election, the Light had online chat sessions and interviews with candidates, and articles about council votes which helped form my election decisions. For example, the council vote not to have the primary mail-in ballots sent out in September like all other municipalities in Massachusetts helped form my decision NOT to vote for some incumbents who had previously received my vote.

    Making mail-in voting easier for the elderly and disabled, as well as those with several jobs and other responsibilities makes sense and helps increase turnout. I hope those elected to the Council in November will take up this issue again. In my opinion, there is no good reason why we should not join all other Massachusetts communities in having a September municipal election.

    1. So agree with you regarding The New Bedford Light. I would not be as well informed as I am without it, in all aspects of coverage. In an age where local newspapers are quickly declining, it is such a precious resource.

      I was surprised and disappointed to see such a low election turnout, especially given the disenchantment that exists today in our politics.

  3. More far left liberal nonsense, mail in voting is not the answer, and would only lead to pure corruption of our city elections.

    2. You must have proof of mail -in-voting corruption in city elections that you would like to share with us. I would like to see it.

  4. I am 81 years old and disabled. I was very disappointed to learn that I needed to complete a request for a mail-in ballot each year, and I was waiting for my ballot in the mail.

    When I didn’t receive it, I called the Election Commission Office, and they sent me the application. However, there was not enough time to fill out a mail-in ballot for the primary. (I will get one for the regular election.)
    It was extremely difficult for me to vote in person, but I did it with the help of friends, but it was close.

    We should be making it easier to vote by mail-in ballot, not harder. And that option should be available to everyone.

    1. Amen. Facilitating mail-in ballots would also increase turnout, something that most people want, and something that would strengthen our democracy.

  5. I am glad you were able to vote. You did the right thing by calling the election Commision, they should always be able to provide a ballot for anyone who is disabled, registered to vote, and can’t get out to vote. As far as mail in voting, it’s not the way to go, and would only lead to corruption in our city elections.

    1. A Google search for: elections mail in voting corruption ? produced the following Google AI result:

      AI Overview:

      Allegations of widespread mail-in ballot corruption are not supported by evidence. Federal and state investigations, court cases, and studies by nonpartisan organizations have consistently found that voter fraud related to mail-in ballots is extremely rare and does not affect election outcomes.

      Evidence countering widespread corruption claims:

      Multiple analyses and official reviews show a minimal rate of fraud in mail-in voting, particularly at a scale large enough to influence election results.

      Investigative analyses: A News21 analysis of election fraud cases from 2000 to 2012 found that out of billions of votes cast, there were 491 alleged cases of absentee ballot fraud—less than one allegation per state per year.

      Case study: The state of Oregon, a pioneer in vote-by-mail since 2000, has sent over 100 million ballots with only about a dozen cases of proven fraud, a rate of 0.00001%.

      Lawsuits: In the wake of the 2020 election, over 60 lawsuits alleging widespread fraud were filed, but none presented evidence of fraud related to mail-in ballots that could have changed the election outcome.

      Safeguards that prevent mail-in ballot fraud:

      States have implemented a multi-layered security framework to protect against fraudulent activity, including criminal penalties for misconduct.

      Voter verification: Election officials verify each mail-in ballot by matching the voter’s signature on the return envelope with the signature on file. Some states use additional information, such as an ID number, to confirm voter identity.

      Unique tracking: Each ballot and its envelope are often marked with a unique serial number or barcode. This allows election officials and voters to track the ballot and prevents double voting.

      Drop boxes: In states that use them, official drop boxes are placed in secure, monitored locations, with bipartisan teams collecting the ballots.

      Bipartisan teams: Ballot handling, including signature verification and processing, is often conducted by bipartisan teams of election workers to ensure checks and balances.

      Criminal penalties: Committing voter fraud with a mail-in ballot carries severe criminal penalties, which acts as a strong deterrent.

      Post-election audits: Audits can be conducted after an election to review paper ballots and ensure results were tabulated accurately. This process has been used to detect and address localized issues, such as the 2018 case in North Carolina involving a political operative.

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