Surprise Results in New Bedford’s Low-Turnout City Council Vote

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — Tuesday’s preliminary election for the at-large seats on the New Bedford City Council pared down the list of candidates from 12 to the final 10 for the November 4 election, and while the turnout was extremely low, the numbers didn’t bode well for one incumbent councilor.

Low Voter Turnout Defines Preliminary Election

Unofficial totals released by the City’s election office show that only 4,263 votes were cast out of New Bedford's 73,859 registered voters for just a 5.77 percent voter turnout.

Naomi Carney’s Position Slips Ahead of November Vote

Councilor Naomi Carney came in seventh in the voting with 1,403 votes, finishing behind challengers Devin Byrnes (1,644), James Roy (1,642) and Jennifer Arruda (1,406).

Get our free mobile app

Top Contenders and Vote Totals

Councilors Ian Abreu (2,299), Shane Burgo (1,910) and Brian Gomes (1,734) took the top three spots.

Former Ward 5 Councilor Scott Lima placed eighth (1,241 votes), and New Bedford School Committee member Chris Cotter was ninth (1,227). Shaun Mulvey rounded out the top 10 with 787 votes.

Who Didn’t Make the Cut

Two candidates were eliminated from contention for the November 4 final election: Ian Saunders with 677 votes and Carlos Maiato with 490 votes.