With municipal elections across the commonwealth, here are the races to watch

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Polls are open until 8 p.m. in several dozen cities, from Boston to the Berkshires. In no particular order, here are the races I’m watching.

Boston: With no opponent on the November ballot, Mayor Michelle Wu has steered campaign hands and fundraising help towards City Councilor Henry Santana, an ally running for a second term. Former Councilor Frank Baker, a Wu critic, wants to return, and has campaigned and fundraised across the city, pulling in $96,000 in one month. Two subplots to watch: First, New Balance chairman Jim Davis, who has gone 0-3 in supporting anti-Wu candidates since 2021, last week donated $100,000 to a pro-Baker super PAC. Will it be 0-4 after tonight? Second, whoever places fifth in the at-large race will be in the catbird seat if one of the four at-large councilors leaves, allowing the runner-up to slide in.

Everett: Carlo DeMaria, the sitting mayor for 18 years, is facing a challenge from City Councilor Robert Van Campen as the incumbent deals with questions about “longevity” payments flagged by the state inspector general. DeMaria won reelection by just 200 votes four years ago against another candidate.

Somerville: Voters tossed incumbent mayor Katjana Ballantyne in September’s prelim, and two at-large councilors advanced to the final round. Both say they’re progressive. Willie Burnley Jr. is telling voters he’ll be “someone who’s going to fundamentally challenge a status quo,” according to GBH News, while Jake Wilson is pitching himself as a pragmatist. (Burnley has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and democratic socialists, while Wilson has picked up support from former mayor Mike Capuano.)

Taunton: Mayor Shaunna O’Connell is battling Estele Borges, a councilor, in the third go-around between the two. A super PAC, run by conservative players based out of Wisconsin and funded by local businesspeople, has jumped into the race to help O’Connell. 

Worcester: New England’s second largest city is where the Working Families Party is hoping to notch some wins. The progressive group is building out its Massachusetts operation, and its super PAC has spent $25,000 on its slate of council candidates, which includes mayoral candidate Khrystian King.

Other cities and towns worth keeping an eye on: Winthrop, where a slate of pro-MBTA Communities Act candidates for town council are on the ballot with opponents); Lawrence, which has state elections officials overseeing voting, has Mayor Brian DePena facing challenger Juan “Manny” Gonzalez; and Quincy, where Mayor Thomas Koch isn’t on the ballot but a “wave of political newcomers” are challenging incumbents as Koch has invited controversy, with a big pay raise and a push to place saint statues on the new public safety headquarters.

In Beverly, incumbent Mayor Mike Cahill, who has faced a trash and teacher strike, has a challenger in City Councilor Brendan Sweeney. (Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, who is running unopposed, recently went door-knocking to help Cahill.) In Easthampton, there’s an open mayoral seat after Nicole LaChapelle’s departure and three candidates: Salem Derby, the council president, Lindsi Sekula, who worked for LaChapelle, and Councilor Jason Tirrell.

I like fall not only because it’s sweater and scarf weather, but it’s also when elections are in full swing. Later today, I’m looking forward to swinging through Santarpio’s in Eastie, where candidates and incumbents will take a brief break from getting out the vote to share a bite of pizza and some Election Day gossip. If you see something at the polls or in the streets, please feel free say something: [email protected].

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9:30 | Secretary of State Bill Galvin casts his vote on Election Day. He'll be available to answer questions about municipal elections after voting. | Thomas A. Edison Middle School, 60 Glenmont Road, Brighton

10:00 | Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah tours Berkshire County and discusses the Healey administration's investments in health care access, food security and behavioral health. Mahaniah's first stop is the Pittsfield Community Food Pantry for a food security discussion. | 110 South St., Pittsfield

12:06 | U.S. Sen. Ed Markey joins GBH News' Boston Public Radio to discuss the ongoing federal government shutdown, SNAP and Democratic leadership. | Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston | GBH 89.7 FM

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Diann Slavit Baylis, a Marblehead immigration attorney, is considering joining a crowded field running for Rep. Seth Moulton’s Congressional seat. A Haverhill native, she has also served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and ran for state representative in 2022.

“I fight against the Trump Administration every day through my role as an immigration attorney protecting my clients from mean-spirited, unfair and illegal immigration actions,” she said in a statement.

“What do we need?  We need a member of Congress who is going to fight every day to protect our families, to protect our communities and to protect our democracy,” she added.

There are already seven declared candidates for the seat, which covers northeastern Massachusetts.

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EFFICIENCY QUESTION: Top Democrats in the Legislature said they’d be more efficient and take on the Trump White House, but haven’t done much on either score ahead of the close of formal business in the first half of the legislative session. – WBUR

WORKFORCE REDUCTION: SEIU Local 509 relayed to members that the Healey administration is proposing buyouts for resignations and retirements. The union represents workers in the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Transition Assistance, MassHealth, and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, among others. – Boston Herald

LOAN FORGIVENESS SUIT: Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined 21 counterparts in suing the Trump administration, alleging they are unlawfully restricting eligibility for a public service loan forgiveness program under the Department of Education. – MassLive

CULTURAL COUNCIL: Michael Bobbitt, the executive director of the Mass. Cultural Council since 2021, is heading to New York to become president and CEO of OPERA America in January. – Boston Business Journal

POWER LIST: New York magazine included Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on its list of 25 young Democrats to watch. She appears alongside Mallory McMorrow, running for Senate in Michigan, and Congressman Jake Auchincloss. – New York

NANTUCKET VOTE: Nantucket voters will vote on measures that would limit rental housing or allow both long and short-term renters. – Wall Street Journal

VINEYARD WIND: The offshore wind project has doubled its electricity production, federal data show, and has sold off enough energy to power 50,000 homes, up from 33,000 earlier this year. – New Bedford Light

POLICE CONTRACT: The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, the largest police union in the city, and the Wu administration have agreed to a one-year contract extension. The extension, retroactive to July and expiring at the end of June 2026, calls for 2 percent raises and a requirement for patrol officers to wear name tags. – Boston Globe

Boston City Hall attorney who sought to run for mayor now sues to block election results

Manufacturing jobs in Mass. sit behind national openings

PETA wants to get in on Quincy statues controversy

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