Lest these arrogant incumbents try to pretend they have a "mandate," the truth is quite striking. Nearly half of all who voted could not bring themselves to vote for those running for School Committee! The long-time mayor with no opposition had 30% of the voting population submitting blanks or write-ins. That is huge. These arrogant officials had better take note. They will try to gloss over this stunning indictment of their poor performance, but they need to be reminded of it at every turn.

They won't take it as a signal. They should but they won't.

The SC blanks were due to bullet voting. People were allowed to vote for up to 3 but most just voted for their favorites. A very sensible approach. The result of bullet voting is having a high number of blanks. No story there.
Regarding the Mayor’s re-election, a 70% vote for the Mayor is strikingly HIGH. It is simple to leave it blank or write someone in, however, 70% of those that showed up and voted decided to vote for him. This does not consider the fact that he was running unopposed. What do you think would've happened if there was an opponent? Were you not paying attention a couple of years ago when the issue of the salary for the Mayor's position was raised? Regardless of the override vote, Dolan has overwhelming support in this city.
If you want to read the tea leaves here look into the fact that the top vote getters in the SC and Alderman at large races were all incumbents. Despite the shots she routinely gets here, Drisoll was #1 on the SC. Also, the most telling fact was the JD LaRock, a newcomer to this city with a flashy resume, finished DFL in the Alderman at large race. That tells you all you need to know.

Believe it or not, many people don't care about the SC. They vote for the most familiar name on the list. MD is that person.That's why she showed a higher vote count. Her name is out there even if you're not paying attention.

There is something wrong when a convicted felon is the 2nd highest vote getter. Due to name recognition too. Of course forgetting why he sounds familiar.

If people liked the mayor so much, they would have colored in the circle next to his name. They're at the polls anyway. But see it whatever way makes you feel better

Medeiros received 5034 votes for alderman at large, even with four other candidates vying for votes. Dolan, running uncontested had 5763. Medeiros received 88% of the votes Dolan had. Those numbers are telling.

Medeiros should have run for Mayor...but she didn't She definitely considered it, she would have got a huge raise if she won, and she chickened out. Shame on her...except for one major factor...she would have gotten killed and lost her seat on the board...and she knew it Four years from now she can consider it again. The whole world will change between now and then. I hope she does run against Dolan. It will be fun to watch. Someone should have run against him this year...but no one in the City had the stones. Dolan is King for 4 more and thats the fact, Jack.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda...a whole bunch of smoke and BS. There are a bunch of capable people in the City who could run if they were willing to take a pay cut and change careers...Conn's not special in that regard. Everyone who doesn't like Dolan begged MM to run...it's a pipe dream. It will never happen. But you have 4 years to find a champion. JD LaRock thought he was setting himself up for a run down the road. Ooops.

In the meantime Dolan is going to put $500,000 in his pocket, cement $125,000 as his high three for his pension, and will have his pick of City Manager jobs anytime they come up for a lot more money. He wins, again. And he will next time...but I hope someone runs against him. Between the incessant whining on Melrose Messages and the lack of a Citywide mayors race its gotten too repetitive in Melrose. Really boring.

LaRock is the Chairman of North Shore Community College’s Board of Trustees, not the "head" of the college.

Whose political rear end did pucker up to? Please don’t stay he was the most qualified.

You can't put a sentence together. Maybe you should stop now before you embarrass yourself further.

Present slogans:

Ed O'Connell School Committee Member Elect: crime does pay.

Ed O'Connell School Committee Member Elect: you are in fact better than him.

All right, here are the facts so that all of you can stop making ignorant suppositions (facts which took under 15 seconds to find). By the way, Dr. LaRock left Melrose not for a political reason but because he was a high-level analyst for a year in Paris for the OECD (see below if you don't know what that is).
This dumb city doesn't know the opportunities it has just thrown away by not voting in this brilliant man. Too bad for all of us!


https://chroniclevitae.com/people/47337-j-d-larock/profile

currently Chief of Staff at Northeastern University (in addition to his Board of Trustees position)


Experience

Organisation for Economic and Co-Operative Development
9/2011 - 9/2012 Senior Analyst/Manager, Indicators of Education Systems Programme
Massachusetts Executive Office of Education
8/2008 - 8/2010 Policy Director
U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senate Comittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
5/2006 - 7/2008 Senior Education Advisor
NY1 News
4/1999 - 3/2002 Education Reporter

Melrose would rather vote for a disbarred convicted felon than vote for a man that would have truly made a difference. Such a sad state of affairs.

A Dolan quote from Aaron Leibowitz's article in the Free Press:

“The city is going to have to go in a radically different direction,” Dolan said. “The statement that is made is there’s going to be considerably less spending on schools, considerably less spending on employees and employee contracts, less spending on infrastructure, less investment and more maintenance. And that’s what they want.”

This is Dolan throwing down the gauntlet. He is going to make the City suffer because his override wasn't passed. Very disturbing words from the leader of our City...not to mention infantile and vindictive.

Aaron Leibowitz:

"Dolan admitted all along that his proposal was not a “gun-to-your-head” override, and that his goal instead was to be proactive by pumping funds into the schools and balancing the district’s budget before larger issues arise."

Very true Aaron. Thank you for showing your readership that our Mayor is a liar. But most of us here on this board knew that anyway.

Haha as someone said on another thread he will be very spiteful indeed. How childish and predictable of you Dolan. You only got 70% of the vote and no doubt many of those were filled in because yours was the only name there. You're not untouchable but you know we are stuck with you for the next four years at least. You were so confident that the override would pass you actually told the truth that it's not a "gun to the head" vote. But now that it hasn't you're taking one of your famous tantrums.

How often is he allowed to put this question on the ballot? Can it be on next years? Is he going to make this year hell purposely, thinking by next year all will change their mind.

There have been several override votes in our town and they have all passed. The reason that they passed, was because everything was spelled out as to where the money was going and why it was needed. You don't put something on the ballot with vague, general reasons as to why you needed the money and expect people to go along with it. Heck I would like someone to give me money too, but it isn't going to happen. So the next time you need something (and I am sure there will be a next time)spell it out. List to the penny where the money is going and why it is needed, then you may get your override, but then again; maybe you won't.

When you or I or a small business applies for a grant or loan, we have to be transparent about our expenses and income. So why is it that Mayor Dolan, Superintendent Taymore, School Committee Chair Thorp, Finance Chair Driscoll, and City Solicitor Van Campen fought and bullied Carrie Kourkoumeis so bitterly when she was asking a simple question as to how much money had the district spent to date on legal fees to defend the school administration against the pending lawsuits and Civil Rights charges? Honestly, if they wanted her to vote Yes on a warrant to add another $34,000 to this budget line item, why can't they simply provide this basic information so that school committee members can make an informed vote? I'll tell you why. They did not want us to know about the hundreds of thousands of dollars they had been spending to defend against these charges before the override vote.

Just for the record, RATT, the override in 2003 DID NOT PASS! The one in 1993 did pass,

MFD; The town I was referring to was not Melrose. I moved a while ago and usually check this site every now and then to see what is happening. I can trace my families history back to the 1800s back when Melrose was a town. All that I was doing was to point out that if you are trying to sell a pig-in-a-poke you will never do it. Unless of course you have a bunch of gullible individuals.