WAKEFIELD — Elm Street’s Brian Fox is the newest member of the Town Council after narrowly winning a three-way race for a vacant seat in yesterday’s special election.
With just 7.4 percent of the town’s 20,665 registered voters participating on a brutally hot day, Fox unofficially received 540 votes over the town’s seven precincts. Second place finisher Gerard Leeman of Fox Road received 510 votes, with Emerson Street’s Sam Hockenbury finishing with 484 votes.
Fox, who for years led the all-volunteer committee that brings the town a Fourth of July parade, said, “The unofficial results are in, and you have elected me as your next Town Councilor! It was a very tight race, and I want to thank Sam and Gerard for running great campaigns. I truly believe that any of the candidates running in this election would have been good for the town and bring something different to the council. Hopefully both are willing to run in the future.
“I would like to thank all who supported me throughout the campaign: signing my nomination papers, offering advice, letting me put signs at your house, not closing a door in my face or offering me water when I knocked on doors, showing up to vote for a summer election, and holding signs for me by the Galvin on an excessively hot day.
“I’d like to give a special thanks to my family for all their assistance and support over the past month, especially to my wife, Jackie. Without her by my side I wouldn’t have been able to undertake this campaign or any of the other town activities I’ve been involved in over the years.
“There is a lot of work to be done in a short term and I will do my best to live up to your expectations, but I will need your help to do it.”
The commerce data and digital shelf strategist for HP Hood LLC received 97 votes in Precinct 6, 89 in Precinct 3, 83 in Precinct 5, 80 in Precinct 7, 73 in Precinct 1, 67 in Precinct 4 and 51 in Precinct 2.
A chart with the unofficial results appears in today’s paper.
Leeman said, “I congratulate my friend, Brian Fox, on his victory. I have no doubt that his dedication to Wakefield earned him this victory and his dedication will guide him in his service as our new Councilor.
“I thank those who put their faith in me and contributed their time and resources to the campaign. I wish I could have rewarded your dedication with a successful outcome, and I am reflecting on how to best do that in the future. Residents would frequently greet me at their door by saying someone had already contacted them on my behalf, someone in whom they had immense trust and recognized as a genuine communitarian. I thank you, in particular, for those good, old-fashioned methods of local advocacy.
“If there is one element of the campaign about which I am proud it is the feedback I received from observers who saw me and my two opponents standing together at public events in cordial conversation. It was a pleasure to conduct my first campaign against an old friend in Brian Fox and new friend in Samuel Hockenbury. I genuinely enjoyed their company, especially ‘talking shop’with them.
“I truly believe local involvement is the cure for the division that ails us at the national level. It is the surest way to find a cause to which you can apply genuine effort and most clearly see the impact of your hard work. I think we three did our small part to exemplify that belief and I look forward to finding other ways to contribute to the town.
“Congratulations, Brian Fox. I look forward to following your contributions to the Town Council in these pages and on Wakefield Community Access TV broadcasts.”
Sam Hockenbury offered this: “I want to congratulate Brian Fox on his win tonight. Brian loves Wakefield and has been a long-time presence in the community. I wish him well. I’d also like to congratulate Gerard Leeman on a well-run race. He and his wife have served this town well.
“I would like to thank my supporters for their help and support. I had many volunteers, lawn sign hosts, and donors. This attempt could not have been possible without you. And to my family, you were incredible, making multiple treks to Wakefield to help me make this a campaign I could be proud of. I will continue my work and step up to help Wakefield move forward. Tonight was not my night, but the voters braved the heat and made their voices heard, and that is the part that matters.”
During a WCAT-hosted debate earlier this month, development, the town budget, choosing a new Town Administrator and the condition of roads were among the main topics of discussion.
Fox will fill the seat on the Town Council left vacant when Ed Dombroski was elected Town Treasurer in April. The Town Council position is up for election next spring.