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A mixed bag for Eastern Mass. mayoral incumbents

Nancy Moynihan looked over her ballot at Ward 5, Precinct 3, in Quincy as she prepared to select her candidate.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

In Quincy, where two well-known politicians on Tuesday competed in a grudge match for the city's first-ever four-year mayoral term, incumbent Thomas P. Koch, 52, was victorious over challenger William J. Phelan, a former mayor.

Koch captured 56 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results compiled by both campaigns. He attributed his success to his record, campaign style, and approach to issues.

"I think it clearly was two records out there in front of people," Koch said Tuesday night. "I think tonight was an affirmation for what we have been doing."

Phelan said he called to congratulate Koch, and said that the people had spoken.

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"I truly do wish him well," said Phelan. "I'm going to mow my lawn, maybe clean the house a little bit, and figure out what to do from there," he said.

Quincy was one of 53 communities across Massachusetts to hold local elections Tuesday, a day that was just made for voting: clear skies, warm temperatures, leaves crunching underfoot. Some communities saw dramatic results: In Weymouth, Mayor Sue Kay was defeated by state Senator Robert Hedlund in a rematch. Medford voters chose their first new mayor in 28 years. In Revere, Mayor Daniel Rizzo lost a close race for a second term.

Koch, the mayor of Quincy, was first elected in 2007, a race in which he beat Phelan, then the incumbent. This year, he attacked Phelan for leaving the city in a financial mess, and said his challenger did not work well with others.

Phelan blamed Koch for the collapse of a comprehensive downtown redevelopment plan, what he deemed excessive spending on snow removal last winter, and the city getting caught by surprise when Quincy Medical Center said it would cease operations.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Quincy, a city of 93,000, was covered in lawn signs, blue for Koch, green for Phelan. Both candidates are Democrats, and hail from families well known for their political activity.

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Weymouth incumbent out

It was a rematch in Weymouth, where state Senator Robert L. Hedlund, a Republican, soundly defeated incumbent Mayor Sue Kay. Hedlund won 70 percent of the vote, and 40 percent of voters cast ballots, according to unofficial results.

Kay's loss may not surprise voters. She came in second in the preliminary race in September, getting less than half as many votes as Hedlund.

Hedlund and Kay also ran for mayor in 1999. Neither were successful then. Kay was elected mayor in 2007.

Both candidates supported a ballot proposition that would raise taxes, but which was defeated in August.

Revere’s Rizzo defeated

Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo narrowly lost re-election to a second, four-year term of the North Shore city.

He lost by just 117 votes to his challenger, City Councilor Brian Arrigo.

Arrigo received 5,208 votes, to 5,091 votes for Rizzo, according to election results posted online by the Revere election department.

Rizzo led the city's ultimately unsuccesful effort to bring a casino to Suffolk Downs. He also was a proponent of new residential development on Revere Beach.

Neither candidate returned calls from The Boston Globe seeking comment Tuesday night.

McCarthy gets seventh term

In Waltham, Mayor Jeannette McCarthy won reelection for a seventh term, defeating state representative and City Councilor Thomas Stanley by a vote of 6,076 to 4,948, according to the city clerk's office.

McCarthy could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.

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A total of 11,024 voters, or about 31 percent of the city's 31,000 registered voters, went to the polls, said City Clerk Russ Malone

"She's honest," said Craig Russell, 63, who stood holding a McCarthy sign outside John F. Kennedy Middle School late Tuesday afternoon. "She will tell you things the way it is."

"She's for the people," added Russell, a part-time worker at the city library. "She's not for big business. She's not going to sell the city out."

A few feet away, Rick Carr, who works for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, stood holding a sign for Stanley.

"Change," Carr, 59, said when asked why he supported Stanley. "[McCarthy] is a very nice person. But I am concerned about the traffic and development. I just think we need some change."

Brockton incumbent wins

In Brockton, a city that has seen increased economic development as it struggles with violent crime, voters stuck by the incumbent.

Mayor Bill Carpenter was seeking a second, two-year term, and faced challenger Christopher MacMillan, a former four-term city councilor who gave up his seat to run for mayor in 2013.

Carpenter won 56 percent of the vote to MacMillan's 44 percent, according to unofficial results. About 33 percent of the registered voters went to the polls.

Carpenter has focused on revitalizing the city's downtown, and on attracting state investment. He also supports bringing a casino to the city.

MacMillan said during the campaign that, as a waste-water treatment operator, he knew city government well, and said that some departments were not being managed correctly.

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Medford race goes to Burke

Medford voters went to the polls to choose a successor to Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, who is retiring after 28 years in office.

Their choice: Stephanie Muccini Burke, a former 16-year city councilor and the city's current director of budget and personnel, who defeated veteran City Councilor Robert Penta in a closely watched campaign.

Outside the VFW post on Mystic Avenue, supporters for each stood holding signs as voters in Ward 8, near the Somerville line, headed to the polls in the early evening.

"I believe Stephanie will work well with the many ethnic communities," said Muhammad Chowdhury, 41, a native of Bangladesh, who stood with his daughter, Nailah, 10. "Medford is a very diverse community. We need a mayor who will work with us all."

"I think she'll also be good with finances," said Chowdhury, who works as a civil engineer for the state.

Lisa Barone, 42, a lifelong Medford resident, stood a few feet away, holding a Penta sign. She said she thought her candidate would fight for the people of Medford.

Vigeant survives challenge

In Marlborough, Mayor Arthur G. Vigeant fended off a challenge from Edward Bigelow, a former fire chief.

Vigeant won 66 percent of the vote, and 21 percent of voters went to the polls, according to unofficial results.

Vigeant has served a pair of two-year terms as mayor and 18 years on the City Council before that. He talked about the city's surplus and the revitalization of Ward Park. Bigelow said the city had put too much effort into attracting large companies that employed people who live elsewhere and had not worked to attract companies that would employ resident blue-collar workers.

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Vigeant said Tuesday night he is looking forward to completing projects around town, including a turf field at a middle school and the construction of a new elementary school. He attributed his win to his record in the city over the last four years, which includes a new senior center, improvements at Memorial Beach, and the attraction of new employers, including TJX, Sandisk, and Quest Diagnostics.

Gloucester’s Theken wins

Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken won re-election over City Councilor Paul McGeary, 5,266-4,134, according to election results posted on the city's website.

Theken, 53, is a former longtime city councilor. She was unanimously elected in January by a vote of the Gloucester City Council to fill the unexpired term of former Mayor Carolyn Kirk, who resigned to become the state's deputy secretary of Housing and Economic Development.

Neither Theken nor McGeary returned calls from the Globe seeking comment on Tuesday night.


Kathy McCabe can be reached at Katherine.McCabe@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKMcCabe. Jill Terreri Ramos can be reached at jill.ramos@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @jillterreri.