Candidates backed by Our Revolution Medford won a decisive victory in City Council and School Committee races over an independent group on Nov. 4, extending their progressive vision for another two-year term.
All incumbents on the City Council won reelection, maintaining the 6–1 ORM majority. Liz Mullane, assistant vice president for advancement at Northeastern University, was elected to the council following the departure of Council Vice President Kit Collins, who did not seek reelection. Councilor Emily Lazzaro received the most votes, followed by Council President Zac Bears and Councilor Anna Callahan.
“Medford stood up tonight and loudly proclaimed that we’re going to keep building a Medford for all of us. I’m so proud of this grassroots, people-powered movement,” Bears said. “We saw that Medford is ready for the future and that these are the people that they want to work together to build it.”
The slate of seven independent City Council candidates included Councilor George Scarpelli, who won reelection to a sixth term, and former Council President Rick Caraviello, who was unsuccessful in an attempt to return to the council following a failed bid for mayor in 2023.
“I really don’t think it’s what went wrong on the independent side. … I think it’s more what went right on the Our Revolution side … — their strategy of sending a lot of mailers and focusing on digital [outreach], text messages [and] social media posts,” independent candidate Patrick Clerkin said.
On the School Committee, incumbents Nicole Branley and John Intoppa, who were not affiliated with any slate, lost reelection to ORM candidates Michael Mastrobuoni and Jessica Parks. The group will now hold a 6–0 majority on the committee. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn serves as the seventh member and chairperson.
School Committee member Aaron Olapade celebrated ORM’s sweep as the committee continues to work on the renovation or reconstruction of Medford High School.
“I think it’s proof that the system and the model that we follow as Our Revolution Medford works,” Olapade said. “We are a team that’s consistent about trying to accomplish progressive movement here in the community, in the city, and I think it’s working.”
ORM, a local offshoot of the progressive organization formed after Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, has been a consistent force on the City Council since 2019, when Bears and former Councilor Nicole Morell were elected. The group first gained a majority on the council following the 2021 election cycle.
Three independent candidates — Scarpelli, Caraviello and Melanie Tringali — led the September preliminary field of 17 candidates, with Bears and Mullane placing ninth and tenth, respectively. Turnout in the preliminary was roughly 19%, compared to 33% in the general election.
Winning candidates explained that ORM was more focused on turning voters out in the general election, not the preliminary, with volunteers mobilizing in full force after September results.
“I think people saw that the preliminary results didn’t reflect who we were as a city. People wanted to make sure that that wasn't the final result,” Councilor Justin Tseng said. “We saw so many people sign up to volunteer for us in the weeks after that election to help us reach more voters — to help us have those conversations about what we want our city to look like.”
Much of the election centered around Medford’s rezoning project. Independent candidates argued that the City Council’s efforts to upzone areas of the city could significantly alter neighborhood character and that the project was moving too quickly. Proponents maintained that the process is essential for building more housing throughout the city.
“We didn’t have the resources, and people were going to be confused, but now we have the time to do it right, and it’s really clear that people still want to move forward and address the housing crisis,” Bears said. “I’m really confident that this team can talk to folks and explain what zoning means for our neighborhoods.”
Medford voters also approved a new city charter, implementing major changes to the composition of the City Council and School Committee — including a shift to ward representation — and extending the mayor’s term from two to four years, among other reforms. The charter passed with nearly 70% of the vote. Its provisions for School Committee, City Council and mayoral terms will take effect in the 2027 municipal election.
“I am so thrilled that the voters of Medford have decisively passed a new charter for the city. The new charter, which has been years in the making and represents the efforts of so many residents, enhances representation, civic engagement, and equity,” wrote Milva McDonald, who led the committee to draft and advance the charter, in a message to the Daily.
Lungo-Koehn won re-election unopposed for a fourth term as mayor, earning 62% of the vote.
