BEVERLY — Jerry Parisella is facing two challengers in his effort to win reelection as state representative for the 6th Essex District, which includes Beverly and part of Wenham.
Euplio Marciano, who has lost two previous races against Parisella, and Ty Vitale, who ran an unsuccessful write-in race in 2022, are both trying again to unseat Parisella. All three are Beverly residents.
Parisella, 61, is seeking an eighth two-year term in the 6th Essex District, which grew to include part of Wenham in addition to Beverly through redistricting two years ago.
“I would love the opportunity to continue serving the people of Beverly and now Wenham,” he said. “I feel like at this point I’ve gotten a lot of experience and am in leadership in the House. I’m chair of the economic development committee which is one of the more important committees in the House. It has helped me deliver for the district, bringing millions of state dollars back to Beverly and now Wenham.”
Parisella cited his role in the passage of a $3.5 billion economic development bill that includes investments in life sciences and clean energy technology, as well as his advocacy of behalf of military veterans.
Parisella, who is an attorney, served 29 years in the U.S. Army Reserve before retiring last year as a lieutenant colonel. He chaired the veterans committee when the House of Representatives passed legislation in 2016 giving veterans preference in public housing and making veterans status a protected class in Massachusetts. This year the legislation was expanded to allow veterans preference in private housing developments.
Marciano, however, has criticized Parisella for voting against an amendment that Marciano said was intended to give homeless veterans preferential access to the state’s emergency housing assistance program. On his campaign Facebook page, Marciano, who is also a veteran, said Parisella “stabbed our homeless veterans in the back and voted in favor of the Illegal Aliens over them!”
The amendment was proposed for “political purposes.” He said veterans already receive preference in housing, thanks to the bill he supported.
“Me being a veteran, I’m not going to take any kind of vote that would be harmful to our veteran population,” Parisella said. “I’ve received numerous veterans awards. To say I would take a vote that would be harmful to veterans is just absurd on its face.”
Marciano, 63, served 22 years in the Army and was a Green Beret. He has run multiple times for public office, including city councilor, mayor and state representative, and has never won. He said he continues to run because “people have to have a choice.
“I just set the record straight because I don’t like what’s going on,” he said. “I’m just not happy with Jerry. He votes straight party line. The whole system is broken.”
Marciano is running under the All American party, which he said is a party that he created (and is the only member). He had previously run against Parisella as an unenrolled candidate.
“It sounds more patriotic, All American,” he said. Marciano’s campaign signs describe him as “All American,” “Anti-Communist” and “Green Beret.”
Vitale, a 51-year-old property manager, staged a write-in campaign last year as a Republican, but failed to get enough votes in the primary to qualify for the final election. This year he collected enough signatures to get his name on the Republican ballot.
Vitale said his main reason for running is to try to restore some balance to the overwhelming Democratic state legislature.
“The House has a super-majority so they can essentially pass laws at their whim, and with (Maura) Healey as governor she’s not going to veto anything,” he said. “There’s really not a lot of discussion going on.”
Vitale grew up in Danvers before his family moved to Beverly in his senior year of high school. He became involved in local politics when he lived in Plaistow, New Hampshire, and ran unsuccessfully for selectman.
“I think that people are looking for a change so I think a lot of people are going to get out and vote and not vote for incumbents,” he said. “I think I have a good shot of getting that protest vote.”
Parisella had spent $7,526 of his campaign money as of Oct. 22, according to campaign finance records. Vitale had spent $1,582, while Marciano had not spent any money.
Early voting started last week. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.