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Winslow-Leone Ward 6 rematch in November General Election; Macklin-Annab will face off in Ward 4 in one of closest finishes on record
By Steve Freker
Incumbents topped the final count in both races on the Malden Preliminary Election ballots on a day when the overwhelming majority of voters stayed home. It may have well been a record low turnout in Malden electoral history for any election — a mere 6% overall — but that did not mean there was not any lack of drama.
The voter turnout in Ward 4 for the School Committee was even lower — just 4.4%, or only 181 of 4,031 registered voters in those three precincts. That was where the drama lay, however;
there may have been just 188 votes cast in Ward 4, but the final count was a razor thin margin between first place and third place, with the final spot meaning elimination from the race. Two-term incumbent Ward 4 School Committee member Dawn Macklin received 59 votes; political newcomer Abeer Annab received 58 votes for second place, and Jeffrey Donahue finished third and out of the running for the General Election with 53 votes. Donahue is a former Ward 4 Councillor. That means that the incumbent Macklin and Annab as the top two finishers will face off in the Tuesday, November 4 General Election.
Due to the very close finish, there is always the possibility of a recount request. The Advocate was unable to contact any of the candidates by press time for comment.
In the Ward 6 Councillor race, it was another very low turnout, with a total of 404 voters from a registered voter list of 5,198, or just 7.6% marking ballots. Two-term Ward 6 incumbent Stephen Winslow topped the ticket in the preliminary vote with 256 votes, and challenger Jerry Leone was second with 110 votes. Those two top vote getters will face off in the November 4 General Election. Political newcomer William Muise, a first-time Malden electoral candidate, finished third and was eliminated from the ballot with 18 votes.
