New Bedford mayor beaten by political newcomer

[Ian David]

New Bedford mayor beaten by political newcomer

By Ray Henry, Associated Press Writer | November 9, 2005

A former prosecutor who pledged to clean New Bedford of gangs and drugs woke up Wednesday morning as the mayor-elect, while incumbents held onto their seats in Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Lawrence.

Salem got a new mayor after the incumbent was ousted in a preliminary election; so did Chicopee, where the current mayor was charged last week with extorting illegal campaign contributions from businesses.

In New Bedford, attorney Scott Lang had 67 percent of the vote to incumbent Frederick Kalisz Jr.'s 33 percent. Lang, 55, said crime blossomed in the once-prosperous seaport under Kalisz, with killings reaching a record high in 2003. He gained the backing of the city's police union, which staged a series of raucous protests against Kalisz.

"We have to reach out to each and every citizen in this city to have them engage to solve problems of this city," Lang told his supporters. "I pledge to help unite this city, tonight was the first step in uniting the city."

In his concession speech, Kalisz said the loss meant he could now fulfill a promise to his young son. "You know what the conversations in the car was? 'Ricky, guess what? We're going to Disney World finally,'" Kalisz said.

Filomena Farias, 34, lives on the same North End street as Kalisz, 48, but she voted for Lang because the current mayor closed a police substation in the neighborhood.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/09/new_bedford_mayor_beaten_by_political_newcomer/