Rep. James Marzilli of Arlington took the Democratic primary for the Fourth Middlesex District senate seat Tuesday. The top vote-getter here in Woburn was Rep. Patrick Natale, who took Woburn by a wide margin. Jim Marzilli will go up against Republican Brion Cangiamilia from Billerica and Constitution Party member Thomas Fallon from Burlington in the general election on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

Today, Tuesday, November 13th, is the Democratic Primary for the upcoming 4th Middlesex Senate Seat Special Election.

Candidates Kenneth Donnelly, James Marzilli, Charles
Murphy and Patrick Natale will appear on the Democratic ballot in the
Nov. 13 primary. The winner will face off against Republican candidate
Brion Cangiamila and Constitution Party candidate Thomas Fallon on the
Dec. 11 general election.

To find out where you should vote, click here.

Below are links to profiles of each of the candidates from the Woburn Advocate:

Kenneth Donnelly

James Marzilli

Charles Murphy

Patrick Natale

Brion Cangiamila

Thomas Fallon

Return to our Elections 07 Blog tomorrow for the results of the Democratic Primary.

The local elections were held last Tuesday and the results are in. The top two vote-getters for the School Committee were Joseph Crowley and Christopher Kisiel and they will each serve four year terms. The others elected to the School Committee were Patricia Chisholm, Denis Russell, and John Wells, all incumbents.

The winners of the Alderman elections are as follows:

Alderman at Large:
Paul J. Denaro,
Joanna Gonsalves

Ward 1:
Charles E. Doherty

Ward 2:
Richard Gately Jr.

Ward 3:
Scott D. Galvin

Ward 4:
James J. Dwyer

Ward 5:
Darlene Mercer-Bruen

Ward 6:
Michael L. Raymond

Ward 7:
Raymond B. Drapeau

We have developed a questionnaire for the City Council and School Committee candidates and have posted their answers on our elections blog. We hope you can take the time to visit the blog and respond to their answers with your own questions. We will pick several questions from all our respondents and post those on the blog for follow-up answers from the candidates. Note: Questions that readers pose will be reviewed by SCI before they are published on the site.

Click here to view the questions and the candidates' answers.

My name is Chris Kisiel and I am running for re-election to the Woburn School Committee. I was elected one term ago replacing Mary Contalonis, who retired after two decades on the committee, and hope to continue serving the residents and students of the city. I have learned so much and met so many people with concerns and questions and have enjoyed helping them with actions or directing them to the right people for the right answers. The education of our children is extremely important and I take the responsibility seriously. I was elected two years ago with the idea of making some changes for the better and to enhance the quality of eduaction in the city. I had no hidden agenda and feel I have made a positive impact joining the existing committee. There are so many great things happening in education and in our schools these days and I feel Woburn provides a quality education. I felt this way before I was elected as well, and having two children in the system, I have been involved for many years. I am a member of the Lions club, a member of the Woburn High School Scholarship fund, serving as its president for 4 years, a member of the Woburn Business Association, President of the Kennedy PTO and numerous other volunteer and civic organizations. I have been involved in my community for many years before being elected and continue to do so like so many other people in Woburn do. I didn't become involved in these groups to get elected, I got involved because it's the right thing to do. Being a taxpayer, home owner and business owner (Tasher Studio) I feel I can continue to do a great job for the residents, school staff and students of Woburn while still being aware of the value of a dollar and I hope to have your vote of confidence on November 6th.

Thank you again

Chris Kisiel

My name is Laurel Francoeur, and am I running for School Committee. I was raised in Woburn (as Laurel Mahoney) and graduated from Woburn High as Valedictorian in 1988. I attended MIT and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Philosophy. I earned my JD degree from Suffolk Law School and am a member of the Massachusetts Bar. I have practiced law in Woburn for about 10 years, after having spent a year as a law clerk for the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. I am active in the Woburn community as a substitute church organist, a leader of a local medical support group, and a participant in the school PTO.

I have a son in the Woburn School System. As a mother, I know the issues facing our school children now, such as the alarming rates of childhood obesity. Our children today live in a world different from when I was growing up in Woburn. There are many more challenges and problems that parents and teachers face now – our society makes it so that children cannot live as freely and simply as in the past. Technology has changed the ways we communicate and interact. Woburn needs to keep pace with the demands of today’s world to continue to provide a quality education and to ensure that the unique needs of this age are being met.

However, I also know that rising tax rates are a burden facing all of us, especially those living within a fixed income. Educational spending must be tailored closely so that we do not have to raise taxes every year. As a lawyer, I am knowledgeable about laws that pertain to education. In fact, I advocated for and helped to write a bill now pending in the Massachusetts State legislature which would give school children easier access to necessary medication. I know how the legal system works. I will help to ensure that our school system gets all the outside funding it can from federal and state sources to ease the taxpayer’s burden. My skills and knowledge as a lawyer will be useful to the committee and perhaps could save the city money in the long run.

I appreciate your vote on November 6, 2007. I promise to bring a new perspective coupled with a solid background and the determination to provide quality education without having to raise taxes. Thank you.

Have local issues you want to discuss? Questions or concerns you'd like the candidates to address? We want to hear what's on your minds, so add a comment below to share your thoughts and insights.

Field of alderman candidates narrows -
WOBURN - The turnout wasn’t terrific, but the voters who went to the polls on Tuesday got the job done. Ward 6 and 7 voters narrowed to two the roster of alderman candidates for the general election in November.
[Woburn Advocate]

A special election has been ordered by the Massachusetts Senate to fill the vacancy of State Senator for the Fourth Middlesex District. The primary election will be held on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 and the final election will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2007. The election will be held in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Nomination papers are available in the Office of the City Clerk. Additional information may be found by selecting the following link, Special State Election.