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FRAMINGHAM – A joint meeting of the Framingham School Committee and the 11-member City Council was held tonight to elect a School Committee member for District 2 to replace the late Karen Foran Dempsey.
There were four candidates Richard Finlay, Kelly Garofalo, David Gordon and Brandon Ward.
A majority of 10 votes were needed of the 19 members voting. Finlay received 11 votes in the first ballot.
Finlay, who serves as an at-large School Committee member when Framingham was a Town, was the first District 2 School Committee member elected when Framingham became a city.
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Dempsey’s husband Mark, and her sister at-large Councilor Janet Leombruno, a life-long District 2 resident, spoke to support Finlay.
Gordon received 7 votes.
The School Committee was split 4 votes for Finlay and 4 votes for Gordon.
School Committee members Geoffrey Epstein and Beverly Hugo touted Gordon’s diversity and fiscal experience.
Garofalo received one vote from District 7 Councilor Margareth Shepard. Ward received no votes.
The 11-member City Council heavily favored Finlay in the vote. Finlay received 7 Council votes.
Finlay is expected to be sworn in tomorrow, March 3, and attend his first meeting Wednesday night.
His term ends on Dec 31, 2021.
The District 2 seat, along with the 8 other School Committee seats will all be on the November ballot in 2021. The entire School Committee is elected by district every two years.
SOURCE will update this report later.
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School Committee
- Beverly Hugo — Gordon
- Scott Wadland — Finlay
- Adam Freudberg — Finlay
- Priscila Sousa — Finlay
- Geoffrey Epstein — Gordon
- Tiffanie Maskell — Gordon
- Jessica Barnhill — Finlay
- William LaBarge — Gordon
City Council
- Christine Long — Finlay
- Cesar Stewart-Morales — Gordon
- Adam Steiner — Finlay
- Michael Cannon — Finlay
- Robert Case — Gordon
- Philip Ottaviani Jr — Finlay
- Margareth Basilio Shepard — Garofalo
- John Stefanini — Finlay
- Tracey Bryan — Gordon
- Janet Leombruno — Finlay
- George P. King Jr. – Finlay
Saint Bridget School 
MassBay Community College