Above: Nicole Bucka after the results of the special election were in, with supporters Colleen Mollicone (left) and Patty Harwood (middle), at the Tavern on Main.

The unofficial vote has Bucka with 59 percent of the vote to Carney’s 41 percent.

With nearly 2,000 votes cast, Nicole Bucka won a decisive victory over Peter Carney Tuesday night for the School Committee seat vacated by Lori McEwen in June. Turnout was big, with 1,962 votes cast – the last time East Greenwich held a special election for School Committee, in 2016, saw just over 600 votes cast.

Democrat Bucka, an education consultant who has been heavily involved in the school district, got 1,159 votes (59 percent). Republican Peter Carney, a businessman who was prompted to run because of pandemic-related school issues, got 799 votes (41 percent).

“It feels amazing. It was hard. I think Mr. Carney did a good job,” said Bucka at the Tavern on Main Tuesday night after the votes tallies were in. “I really tried to give all the voters in this community a sense of what I thought I brought to the table with a lot of concrete details so I could be really persuasive to people who otherwise might not have considered me. In addition, there was a huge grassroots aspect to this. There were many people who believed in me and felt I was the most qualified and they talked to their friends and family and their friends and family came out. This is just a testament to what an active citizenship we have in East Greenwich!”

“This was a good team win,” said Christa Thompson, head of the East Greenwich Democratic Town Committee.

A total of 1,321 voters cast ballots at Swift Community Center on Tuesday. Many voters took advantage of early so-called emergency voting at Town Hall in the three weeks leading up to the election – 512 ballots were cast there, including 120 cast on Monday. A few votes remained uncounted Tuesday – six mail ballots that were collected at 8 p.m. at the drop box in front of the EG Police Department and an unspecified number of mail ballots that were dropped off Tuesday at Swift.

Vote totals by district:

901 & 902 (EGHS and Hanaford) 
Nicole Bucka    238
Peter Carney     221

903 (Swift Community Center)
Nicole Bucka    178
Peter Carney     110

904 (Cole Middle School)
Nicole Bucka    119
Peter Carney     142

905 (Frenchtown)
Nicole Bucka    155
Peter Carney    156

Emergency (early) vote totals:

Nicole Bucka    357
Peter Carney     153

Mail Ballot totals: 

Nicole Bucka    112
Peter Carney      17

There were also 4 write in votes.

Read more about Bucka and Carney HERE.