WESTFIELD – Mary Ann Babinski will be sworn in as the Ward 1 City Council next January after outpolling incumbent Christopher Keefe by 149 votes, with her strongest support in Precinct A where she garnered 168 votes.
Keefe won in Precinct B by 19 votes, but that count was not sufficient to compensate Babinski’s overwhelming number in her home precinct.
Babinski almost took the Ward 1 seat two years ago when she finished just 11 votes behind Keefe and requested a recount which further closed that gap to just nine ballots.
“I think we did well in the campaign, how we handled the election, then it’s up to the voters to decide who would represent them,” Babinski said.
“It was an exciting day Tuesday all around,” Babinski said Wednesday. “It was a good day for people to come out and vote. I think people were ready for a change and had their opportunity Tuesday.”
“I enjoyed the campaign, meeting people, and I intend to keep doing that, connecting with people and working on issues,” Babinski said.
The new Ward 1 Councilor will focus on a number of issues raised by constituents during her campaign.
“Residents said they are concerned about property taxes, the condition of our roads, potholes and expansion of the sewer system,” Babinski said. “I do have concerns about environmental issues, protecting and preserving our natural resources.”
Babinski said that she like to see the City Council more thoroughly investigate issues and “not rush them through. My goal is that people get all of the information they need to make a decision.”
“I want people to get more involved,” Babinski said. “There’s a lot of apathy, so I’d want to get a dialogue going.”
“I think that people need more transparency in city government,” Babinski said. “People feel they want to be represented.”
