It turns out East Greenwich voters had a lot of ideas about potential office holders beyond those names that were on the ballot Election Day, especially for offices where there was only one candidate listed.
The highest number of write-in votes were for the state Representative Dist. 30 seat. Incumbent Anthony Giarrusso ran unopposed for the seat. He got 4,158 votes, but there were 77 write-ins too. Among those written in were Robert Healey and Gina Raimondo (both already on the ballot in the governor’s race), Mark Schwager (who ran for Town Council but ran against Giarrusso for the seat two years ago), TV personality Steven Colbert, actor Neil Patrick Harris, Rolling Stone Keith Richard, Harvey Milk (first openly gay public official in California who was assassinated in 1978), Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and Daffy Duck.
The second highest number of write-ins came in the town moderator race, in which Chuck Barton ran unopposed. Barton got 4,138 votes, but there were 61 write-in votes. Robert Healey was a write-in again, as was Mickey Mouse. Other town moderator write-ins included Nellie Gorbea (on the ballot for secretary of state), Gene Valicenti (TV newsman and EG resident), James Patti (the incumbent town moderator who did not seek reelection), as well as such local notables as Norman Harris, Mason Rhodes and Lisa Sussman.
Robert Healey got yet another write-in vote for Town Council, a contest that offered eight of candidates for five seats. There were 37 write-ins in total, including one for “Bolton” (possibly for Bob Bolton, a Republican who lost in the GOP council primary in September) and one for GI Joe. A couple of people wrote in “none of the above.”
Voters were a bit more satisfied perhaps with the seven candidates for School Committee. There were 15 write ins, none famous.
For governor, voters cast ballots for candidates who lost in the primary – Democrat Clay Pell and Republican Ken Block, but Mickey Mouse got a vote there too.
Pope Francis got a write-in vote for lieutenant governor (why that position in particular we will probably never know), as did Mickey Mouse (yet again!) and his pal, Donald Duck.
Buddy Cianci (on the ballot for mayor in Providence, but also a two-time felon as well as former assistant attorney general) got a vote for attorney general and New England Patriots QB Tom Brady got a vote for general treasurer.
To see how East Greenwich voted, you’ll find the results on the state Board of Elections website here. And, for all the EG News election coverage, click here.
Here are all the write ins, as reported by the Town Canvasser. Maybe you’ll recognize a name or too!:
Town Moderator write in votes:
Robert Healey
Jodi Macauley
Alex Christie
Steve Whitney
Charles Hinman
Margaret Lebovitz
Mickey Mouse
Nellie Gorbea
Jody Sceery
Lee Cresser
Norman Harris
Erin Lynch
Linda Lavin
Stephen DeLisle
Ben Shapiro
Neal McNamara
Kudzu
Mason Rhodes
David Appleton
Michael Courry
Lee Cresser
Ryan Fay
Ian Sutcliffe
Donna Monroe
Tony DeSpirito
Squiggly Line
Steve Medeiros
Gene Valicenti
Lisa Sussman
Kill Joy
James Patti
Town Council
Robert Healey
Nicole Nowak
Rita Nowak
Raoul Duke or Doke
Peter Kasyn
Bob Bolton
Neal McNamara
David Appleton
None of the above
Adam Cresser
Phoebe Cresser
Ziggy
Stubby
Murphis
Patricia Fowler
Ryan Fay
Greg Pezza
Kill Joy
GI Joe
School Committee
Jill Leary
Wendy Fachon
Stephen Nowak
Chris Roy
Mimsy
Ryan
US Representative, Dist. 2
Mike Zarella
Razea Odeh
Steve Botwick
Louis Sardelli
John Healy
Eugenia Marks
Bethany Warburton
Noreen McGeary
Stephen Skoly
Governor
Anne Armstrony
Clay Pell
Mickey Mouse
Adam Satchell
Ken Block
Lt. Governor
Max Trutza
Mickey Mouse
Rick Rusack
Maxine Walker
George Trutza
Donald Duck
Jerome Howard
None of the Above
Pope Francis
Nick Gorham
Oliver Patchano
Michael R Archambault
Secretary of State
Neil Fradin
Maurine Howard
None of the Above
Kevin J. Iannuccilli
Attorney General
Edward Mulligan
Buddy Cianci
Gen. Treasurer
David Bolton
None of the Above
Tom Brady
Steve King
Clay Pell
State Representative Dist. 30
Robert Healey
Jason Eaton
T. Guido
Alex Christie
Steve Whitney
Louis Sardelli
Alyx Healy
Gronk
Thomas DeSanta
Ken MacDonald
Nhu Hang
Sally Cressar
Sharon Hazard
Santa Claus
Gina Raimondo
Linda Lavin
Carolyn Mark
Stephen deLisle
Ben Shapiro
Lawrence Fine
Mark Schwager
Virginia Lee Stilphen
None of the above
Jeff Francis
Monteque Cresser
Michelle Dee
Matt Brothers
Steven Colbert
Healey
Tony Jones
Maya Barnes
Mickey Mouse
Hank Lesperance
Jillian Sullivan
Rebecca Bliss
Jim Cunningham
Sun
Harvey Milk
Daffy Duck
Neil Patrick Harris
Bob Watson
Jim Burbridge
Donna Monroe
Tony DeSpirito
Bruce Sunderland
Gene Valicenti
Anyone else
Keith Richards
Gucci Main
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Who were the write in candidates for school committee? Such a mystery, would love to know!
Thanks for the prompt. I had decided to just note those names with some degree of wider recognition but I think I’ll just add all the names for all the candidates. Here they are for School Committee:
Jill Leary
Wendy Fachon
Stephen Nowak
Chris Roy
Mimsy Ryan