Nearly $125,000 remains in the campaign accounts of candidates for Mayor, Town Council and School Committee following Braintree's election last fall, with the vast majority of the leftover money sitting in Mayor Joseph Sullivan's hefty committee fund. An additional $16,300 was raised between the first campaign finance deadline two weeks before the Nov. 8 election and the end of 2011 by the 21 candidates for those offices with reports on the Town Clerk's website. Altogether they raised almost $130,000 last year and spent $108,000. End-of-year reports were due on Jan. 20. More than $43,500 was …

Below are the official, but still uncertified, Nov. 8 full election results for Braintree's contested races, provided by Town Clerk Joe Powers. These include mayoral, councilor-at-large, contested district and school committee contests. More data on library trustee and other uncontested races is available. Check on the clerk's website or email joseph.markman@patch.com. Mayor Precinct 1 Joseph Sullivan – 597 (85%) Paul Walsh – 106 (15%) Precinct 2 Joseph Sullivan – 535 (85%) Paul Walsh – 94 (15%) Precinct 3 Joseph Sullivan – 602 (87%) Paul Walsh – 93 (13%) Precinct 4 Joseph Sullivan – 527 (88…

Interviews with nearly two dozen Braintree residents voting throughout the town's 12 precincts on Tuesday showed a dedicated electorate – 31 percent of Braintree's nearly 24,000 registered voters turned out – casting their ballots largely out of a feeling of civic engagement rather than for a particular issue or candidate. A lack of state or federal races on the local ballots likely contributed to the low turnout (though it was fairly high for a municipal election in Braintree), along with a dearth of hot-button issues. Several residents, though, polled informally and randomly outside various…

Nearly 7,500 Braintree residents voted on Tuesday in a municipal election highlighted by Mayor Joseph Sullivan overwhelmingly retaining his post, the Town Council keeping its current makeup and the School Committee poised to add three first-time members come January. More than 31 percent of registered voters participated in the election, a higher number than Town Clerk Joe Powers expected and not a bad overall figure for a local election, he said. "I'd like to thank mother nature for the help with that." Under sunny skies, voters in Braintree's 12 precincts chose Sullivan by 85% over …

These are the official, uncertified results. There were 7,493 ballots cast, equaling a 31 percent turnout town-wide, two points higher than the Town Clerk's initial prediction. The results will be certified in 10 days. Below are the numbers. Look for a more complete story tomorrow morning. Mayor (4 years, vote 1) Joseph Sullivan – 6,325 (85%) Paul Walsh – 1,089 (15%) Councilor-at-Large (2 years, vote 3) Sean Powers – 4,825 (29%) Charles Ryan – 4,548 (27%) Leland Dingee – 3,969 (24%) Michael Barbuto – 3,263 (20%) District 1 Council Charles Kokoros – 978 (99%) District 2 Council John Mullaney…

The day started early for candidates in today's municipal election, and it will not end until after the polls close at 8 p.m., after the votes are counted and after the late-night conclusions of parties around Braintree. Tom Devin, running for School Committee, awoke at 5 a.m. this morning and was out of his house 20 minutes later. At 10 a.m., he stood outside Flaherty Elementary School in Precinct 4 with his brother Eddie. "The weather helps," Devin said. "I look forward to a good turnout since the weather is beautiful." By early afternoon on Tuesday, with half of the voting day remaining, …

Braintree Patch has asked each candidate in this year's mayoral, town council and school committee races to submit a few words as the Nov. 8 election nears. For more information on polling places, ballot composition and the candidates themselves, see our Patch Election Headquarters. Below are notes from the mayoral candidates who have submitted them so far. Candidates are welcome to submit after this is published, and they will be added to this article. Mayor Joseph Sullivan It has been a true honor to serve as Braintree's first Mayor. My roots are in Braintree and I care deeply for our …

Braintree Patch has asked each candidate in this year's mayoral, town council and school committee races to submit a few words as the Nov. 8 election nears. For more information on polling places, ballot composition and the candidates themselves, see our Patch Election Headquarters. Below are notes from the school committee candidates who have submitted them so far. Candidates are welcome to submit after this is published, and they will be added to this article. School Committee (vote for 3 for 4 years) Kelly Foley I began my career as a Case Specialist at Quincy District Court. While working…

Braintree Patch has asked each candidate in this year's mayoral, town council and school committee races to submit a few words as the Nov. 8 election nears. For more information on polling places, ballot composition and the candidates themselves, see our Patch Election Headquarters. Below are notes from the councilor-at-large candidates who have submitted them so far. Candidates are welcome to submit after this is published, and they will be added to this article. Councilors-at-Large (vote 3 for 2 years) Charles Ryan Charles Ryan cited his previous town experience as he campaigns for re-…

Braintree Patch has asked each candidate in this year's mayoral, town council and school committee races to submit a few words as the Nov. 8 election nears. For more information on polling places, ballot composition and the candidates themselves, see our Patch Election Headquarters. Below are notes from the district council candidates who have submitted them so far. Candidates are welcome to submit after this is published, and they will be added to this article. District 2 John Mullaney Four years ago, I was first elected as the Town Councilor for District 2 under theslogan “WORKING TOGETHER …

Now in its third year, a food drive centered on Braintree's election day means that each voter will have the chance to drop off non-perishable items for people and families in need on Nov. 8, at polling centers in each precinct. "It's been an overwhelming success," District 4 Councilor Henry Joyce said, "and the need gets greater and greater every year." Joyce, former candidate Philip Baldassini and others in the community brought the idea to reality two years ago. Since thousands of residents were turning out on election day, Baldassini said in an interview earlier this fall, he figured they…

Town Clerk Joe Powers has released a fact sheet, providing historical perspective on recent local elections in Braintree, sharing anticipated turnout and also total registered voter numbers. Total number of eligible registered voters (as of 10/19/2011): 23,812Average voter turnout in Town Elections since 1998: 7,048 (30.63%)Highest voter turnout in Town Elections since 1998: 9,541 (2007– 40.97%)Lowest voter turnout in Town Elections since 1998: 5,738 (2001 – 26.02%)Anticipated voter turnout on Tuesday, November 8, 2011: 29%Total VotersBy District & Precinct District 1 Precinct 1: 2,113 …

Mayor Joseph Sullivan spent $100 on flowers, Councilor-at-Large Sean Powers $310 on campaign T-shirts and mayoral challenger Paul Walsh $170 on helium. An analysis of the more than $177,000 raised and spent by candidates in Braintree's races for mayor, town council and school committee shows that most of the money was spent on campaign literature, advertising and fundraisers, while receipts primarily came from small- to medium-sized individual donations. Campaign finance reports were due by the end of day on Monday, laying out previous political committee balances, the amount raised or loaned…

The 22 candidates in this year's races for mayor, town council and school committee raised, or otherwise took in, a combined $113,000 leading up to Braintree's Nov. 8 election, with Mayor Joseph Sullivan by far the top fundraiser. Campaign finance reports filed with the Town Clerk by Monday's state-imposed deadline show receipts and expenditures from Jan. 1, 2011 through the second-to-last week before the election. The total amount above does not include balances leftover from previous races. Sullivan, for instance, had nearly $92,000 remaining in his account from past fundraising. He raised…

In only seven days, Braintree voters will cast their votes for mayor for just the second time in the town's history. They will also decide on Town Council members for only the third time, and otherwise participate in a democratic process that will help shape the future of this 371-year-old community. Leading up to the Nov. 8 election, Braintree Patch will solicit comments from readers on the election, the issues and the candidates. We will also post final notes from any and all candidates along the lines of "What challenges do you think face Braintree today and where do you see the town in …

Running again for Braintree's District 4 seat, Stephen C. O'Brien said he believes there is a lack of decisive leadership on the Town Council, a flaw that O'Brien would like to remedy by bringing to bear his extensive private-sector experience. O'Brien is challenging incumbent Henry Joyce in the election on Nov. 8. He said in a campaign statement that a lack of confidence in some councilors is an issue that has come up repeatedly with constituents in his district. "When men and women of various backgrounds come together to tackle problems what happens is usually beyond that expected," O'Brien…

Mayoral candidates Joseph Sullivan and Paul Walsh clashed over the state of Braintree's finances during the closing section of Candidates Night at Town Hall on Thursday evening, hosted by the East and North civic associations. In the most debate-like in a series of question-and-answer sessions for the seven contested races in the Nov. 8 election, Mayor Sullivan said that over the past four years Braintree has strengthened its financial position by budgeting carefully and generating revenue through growth. During the transition from the former style of government, for example, Sullivan said he…

If there is one word that has guided Charles Ryan's career and his involvement in Braintree's town government, it is infrastructure. As manager of wastewater operations for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, he oversees 21 facilities and dozens of workers. And using that experience, Ryan said he has helped bring more efficiency to infrastructure work here in Braintree. Ryan, a single father of two boys, grew up in Readville, a neighborhood of Hyde Park, and graduated from Catholic Memorial High School. Before moving to Braintree 14 years ago, he earned an engineering degree from …

Looking for more about the candidates in Braintree's local election? In the final weeks leading up to Nov. 8, Braintree Community Access and Media Television will show short interviews with each, on Comcast, BELD and Verizon. Check in with www.bcam.tv for more scheduling of "BCAM TV presents Meet the Candidates" and in the meantime see below for the upcoming showings. BELD Channel 18 Thursday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Comcast Channel 10 Thursday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. …

On the evening of Sept. 12, at a Republican presidential debate in Tampa, FL, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer guided a conversation among Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney about illegal immigration. Following Perry's remarks about some of his more lenient stances on the subject, and what Huntsman called his own "pragmatic" approach with driver's licenses in Utah, Blitzer turned to Romney, asking if he had a problem with either governor's efforts. "Yeah with both, actually," Romney said. "The question began by saying how do we attract Latino voters. And the answer is by telling them what they …