Current Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Tufts staff member Suzanne Bremer placed first and second place respectively in the city's preliminary mayoral election Tuesday, eliminating third-place candidate Richard Scirocco.
Curtatone and Bremer will now gear up for the run-off election to be held Nov. 6.
According to the Somerville Journal, the unofficial tally from Tuesday's primary showed strong support for Curtatone, who received 76.5 percent of the 6,164 votes. Bremer picked up 13.4 percent and Scirocco 7.6 percent of the ballots. The remaining ballots were either write-ins or blanks.
Bremer is the project coordinator at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts and is a newcomer to politics. Curtatone was elected as mayor in 2003 after serving for eight years as an alderman at large.
Both are optimistic; both acknowledge the hard work that lies ahead on the campaign trail.
Bremer, a Somerville resident, joined the race back in June. She says she offers a fresh perspective on city governance and a keen ability to organize and manage.
"I come from outside politics, and I think that one of the things that I bring to the table is that I see things in a way that's different from people who have been in politics all their lives," she said. "Where others see problems, I see opportunities."
Bremer said she was inspired to run partially by Marty Martinez, who received a master's from Tufts in 2001 and campaigned this past spring for the position of alderman at large.
Though Martinez lost the election, Bremer said his campaign served as a positive influence.
Additionally, after experiencing some issues with public schools, Bremer decided it was time for change.
"What I have to say is resonating with people," she said. "I'm running on a platform [holding that] city government should be open, accessible and fair."
She said she will focus on a "rational approach to development," addressing housing issues, supporting clean industries and working to provide "world-class education" for the city's students.
Curtatone, by contrast, is running on a platform of experience. He is, according to campaign manager Dan Hoffer, "running on his record."
Hoffer said Curtatone has already accomplished a great deal as mayor and is committed to seeing through many achievements in the future.
According to Hoffer, during Curtatone's time in office, Somerville has become a more family-friendly city - 18 parks and playgrounds, for example, have been refurbished, redesigned or constructed.
Additionally, Curtatone has been a vigilant and ardent supporter of the Green Line extension, a project promised by the state to offset the increased traffic flow resulting from the Big Dig.
The project has suffered several delays, and Curtatone has prioritized pressuring the state to live up to its obligations.
According to Hoffer, on the other hand, the development of Assembly Square has been one of Curtatone's biggest achievements.
"Assembly Square has been languishing. Only when Joe came in did things really start to move," he said.
Major shopping venues such as Staples and the Christmas Tree Shop have already moved into the area, with others such as IKEA on the way. According to Hoffer, achievements such as these demonstrate Curtatone's commitment to the city and his successes in office.
With the preliminary election out of the way, both Bremer and Curtatone can now get going on another tough month of campaigning.
"We've been out there fighting for every single vote, as if this were the first time Joe ever ran," Hoffer said. "We take absolutely nothing for granted."
Hoffer said he is happy with the results of Tuesday's primary and optimistic about the upcoming election.
"I'm very pleased. I do think that this definitely sends a message that the people of Somerville like what Joe's doing and they think he should keep doing it," he said.
Bremer acknowledged that she may be the "underdog," but she said she is prepared for the road ahead.
"It's an uphill battle, but it's a challenge I'm going to take on," she said. "I'm not running against Joe; I'm running for a better Somerville."
And that's a goal that she hopes other members of the Tufts community will adopt.
"Getting involved in local politics is a way that you can have enormous impact," she said.
