Leahy on top in selectmen race
Published on April 7th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - Well, all the signs were there - literally.
If you didn't know the name before, the plethora of signs bearing the personage of Darin Leahy in recent weeks certainly made his presence felt in the race for selectman.
Whipple Avenue resident Darin Leahy shocked incumbent John Biggio on Tuesday, defeating the Emery Court resident by 187 votes for the lone vacant seat on the Board of Selectmen.
"I'm happy," the new selectman told the Independent shortly after Town Clerk John Hanright read off the results. "I ran a good campaign and worked hard and had a lot of support in the community.
"I thought the race was excellent on both sides. We presented the issues in a fair, concise and proper manner. It was a good campaign."
Biggio, who had served on the board for the past six years, was visibly dispirited by the outcome.
"I'm a little shocked," he said. "I just wanted to stay involved and fulfill what's been going on. I just wanted to see things through."
Leahy took four of Stoneham's six districts in the race en route to his victory. The largest margin was realized in District 5, his home district, where he took 357 votes compared to Biggio's 226. Biggio succeeded in winning districts 3 and 6 by narrow margins.
"Since this is my first time running, I don't know what's tight and what's not," Leahy said of the contest. "The experience was great because I had a good campaign team. Running a campaign is not something that you can do yourself. You need a lot of support."
Aside from his campaign team, Leahy credited his door to door canvasses as one of the main reasons for his victory.
"I knocked on a lot of doors and introduced myself to the voters," he explained. "The people in town are nice people. A lot of people have a real interest in the town and they'd like to have the Board of Selectmen more accessible so they can state their opinions."
Leahy vowed to fight for a more open channel of communication as well as detailing his first order of business on the board.
"The water and sewer at the hospital (outstanding debt at BRMC) is a major issue. I think we should push the MWRA more so that they will take more responsibility and cover the debt (through a bond). It's not fair for the taxpayers to pay for it."
Biggio, on the other hand, emphasized the good things that had been accomplished in his two terms and said that he had longed to see the fruits of those efforts as a member of the board.
"We had a board that really came together and tried to improve the Town of Stoneham. We had a lot of projects going on. A lot more than I've seen in my lifetime. I'm just sorry I won't be there for the final outcome.
"I wish Leahy luck. He must have some type of program that he wants to put in place. I just hope it's a positive and proactive program."
Biggio said that it is highly unlikely that he would run for another political office.
"I wanted to put in three more years (as a selectman). I'll be around the town. I might try to be involved one way or another, but I don't think I'll run again.
"I know I can go out with my head held high. It's a shame. Things were just starting to come together."
Leahy, who came in with a final total of 1,428 votes, will sit in his first meeting as a selectman on Tuesday.
In other election news, Rocco Ciccarello and Patricia Kilty secured the two open seats with respective vote tallies of 1,742 and 1,762. Blanks topped the ballot, however, with 1,994 votes.
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