BEVERLY — City Councilor at-Large Hannah Bowen won Tuesday’s special election to replace State Rep. Jerry Parisella and represent the 6th Essex district on Beacon Hill.
Bowen, a 43-year-old Democrat, won with 73% of votes and carried all six of Beverly’s wards against Republican Medley Long III.
“I am so thankful to the residents of Beverly and Wenham for entrusting me to represent them on Beacon Hill. I do not take this responsibility lightly,” Bowen said in a statement Tuesday. “I also want to thank the more than one hundred volunteers who always showed up even in the rain, snow, and extreme wind to make this possible.
“At a time when things seem heavy, this campaign reminded me of what is possible when we bring people together.”
Bowen will represent all of Beverly and Precinct 1 in Wenham in the seat Parisella vacated this winter to become a judge.
Wenham voters cast 144 ballots in favor of Bowen and 37 for Long, while Beverly carried 3,949 votes for Bowen, and 1,406 for Long.
Long congratulated Bowen over the phone as results came in Tuesday night. He told The Salem News that he was proud of the campaign he ran and said this election was the first in a long time where Beverly had a serious Republican contender on the ballot for state representative.
“I couldn’t ask for a better group of people helping me and for better supporters,” Long said. “I think that our name is out there, our message is out there. It resonated with people, and this is just the very beginning.
“I look forward to serving Beverly in the future in whatever capacity that may be.”
Bowen is the executive director of The Resolution Center, formerly known as the North Shore Community Mediation Center. She holds a master’s degree of public administration in international development from Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s in political science from Yale University.
She has served on the Beverly City Council since January 2022. Her current term is set to expire in December.
Beverly City Clerk Lisa Kent said Bowen is allowed to finish her term as city councilor while also serving as state representative.
Bowen told The Salem News Tuesday night she will step down from her council seat following the November municipal election so the top vote getter can finish out the short remainder of her term at that point.
Voters cast their ballots Tuesday at most of the city’s elementary schools and the main branch of the Beverly Public Library.
Beverly residents Diane and Michael Giardina both voted for Bowen, and said they were impressed with her background and education. They hope she will secure needed funding for the city and help fix its roads and sidewalks, they said.
“I just think she has a strong work ethic and education, that she’ll be a good representative for Beverly,” Diane Giardina said.
Beverly resident Richard Laws also voted for Bowen. Although he voted for Beverly Ward 1 Councilor Todd Rotondo in the Democratic primary last month, he was still impressed by her experience and how Bowen ran her campaign and her experience, he said.
“Whoever the successful candidate is, in my opinion, has to be a strong proponent of democracy versus autocracy,” Laws said. “I cannot stand the government the way it’s being run currently.”
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com