By Bill Riccio, Jr.
Voice Editor

Landslide. That was the only word to describe how Mayor John Picard cruised to a third two-year term, Tuesday night. By almost a 2-1 ratio, Picard defeated A Better Future Candidate Nancy Rossi and GOP standard-bearer Steven Mullins.

Preliminary counts had Picard taking just over 6,000 votes at 6,089. Rossi polled 1,804, while Mullins had 1,616. From the first returns that came into the Baybrook headquarters it was no contest.

In the under-ticket races, the Democrats retained their stranglehold on city offices with all of the district races and at-large races going to the incumbents. The minority seat went to Dave Forsythe of the A Better Future Party who beat out GOP contender Sal Arminio. The council will have 12 Democrats and Forsythe when it is sworn in next month.

In the Seventh District, Rossi was able to retain her council seat, beating out GOP candidate Joseph Vecellio and write-in candidate Michael DiMassa.

For Picard the election went the way most pundits thought it would. Campaigning on a vow to finish paying off the remainder of the city’s $14.3 million debt (now at $4.3 million), and continuing to “move forward” in issues such as economic and development and keeping taxes down, he was able to retain the trust of voters.

Rossi has been at odds with Picard over his handling of the city’s deficit, claiming he should be following the recommendations of the Municipal Finance Assistance Commission, which has criticized his handling of the deficit situation.

Mullins tried to capitalize on the discord in the Democratic Party ranks. While Picard himself outpolled everyone on the ballot, he is at odds with the factions in the party, particularly Party Chairman James Morrissey.

The City Council will be heavily weighted with Morrissey’s candidates in the next term. It was his slate that overwhelmed Picard’s hand-picked slate in the September primary.

Though there was talk of reconciliation and agreement, Tuesday night. How it translates into governance come the new term is yet to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Board of Education race might be contested, it was learned just prior to press time.

In those races, top vote getters were incumbents Eric Murillo, Toni Paine and current Chairman Mark Palmieri. Dorina Borer beat out GOP contender David Riccio for the minority seat. Unlike the council, which must have only 1 minority representative, the Board of Ed is required to have 3 on the 9-member panel.

The problem is the wording in the charter, and Borer’s status as the “minority” candidate to be seated over Riccio. While Borer won her seat under the ABF line, she is registered as a Democrat and sits on the 60-member Democratic Town Committee.

Riccio said following the election he is looking into challenging her sitting on the board.

“I fully expect to be seated when the Board meets next month,” he said. “The charter is clear no more than six members of the majority party are to be on the board. She (Borer) is a Democrat. I don’t care what party elected her.”

Riccio said he was consulting with election attorneys Wednesday.