Needham voters showed a strong preference for the familiar in Tuesday’s Select Board election, sweeping third-generation resident Bill Dermody onto the board and returning incumbent Cathy Dowd for a second term by an overwhelming margin over newcomer Rich Adduci.
Dermody topped the ticket with 4,328 votes, with Dowd just 197 votes behind at 4,131. The two winners each more than doubled Adduci’s 1,948 vote count.
Dermody received 69.4% of votes cast, Dowd tallied 66.2% and Adduci garnered 31.2%. The total turnout of 6,239 was roughly 25% of Needham’s registered voters.
Dermody will be sworn in as the Select Board’s newest member at tonight’s meeting but he is no newcomer to public service, having served on the Park and Recreation Commission and later as a non-veteran member of the Memorial Park Trustees.
Dowd’s victory facilitates her likely ascension to chair of the Select Board for the next year as it’s virtually certain the board will adhere to its tradition of electing the prior year’s vice chair to the role of chair.
The position does not carry any extra legal authority but the chair presides over meetings and has a role in preparing meeting agendas and recognizing speakers.
“I think I learned a lot in my first term — how to build a coalition within the Select Board,” she said.
Dermody has been a prolific volunteer in youth sports organizations as a coach and organizer. He has also held numerous other town volunteer positions including president of the Needham Exchange Club.
In 2024, he ran as an independent candidate to succeed retiring State Rep. Denise Garlick but fell short in the general election won by Josh Tarsky.
Speaking to supporters at the Common Room, Dermody struck an optimistic “can do” tone.
“We can create more housing without negatively impacting our residents. We can build a public school with an auditorium in a cost-effective manner,” he said.
“We can help our seniors age in place and provide them many housing choices. We can redesign our town center with four lanes to support both businesses and residents.
“And we can create a Quiet Zone to improve our quality of life.”
Dermody said he gave the decision a lot of thought before deciding to run.
“Deep down, I felt it was finally the right time. I’ve done everything else,” he said of his lengthy record of service.
Dowd also had an upbeat message. Asked what she took away from the results, Dowd said, “Running a positive campaign with civility was rewarded by the voters.”
“I think that a big part of our identity is having a strong community. I think people are proud of our institutions.”
“There are always things people are unhappy about,” she said of the town actions that have come under some criticism.
“I think a negative campaign can damage those community ties because we are ultimately all neighbors.”
Dowd was elected in 2023 when she finished closely behind Marianne Cooley and comfortably ahead of challenger Josh Levy — who subsequently went on to earn election the following year and will serve as Select Board Vice Chair this year.
Adduci was trying to do something that has only been done once in this century — unseat a Select Board incumbent.
His campaign literature asked, “Are they listening?” and he cited the town’s approach to the Envision Needham Center project as his prime motivation for running, alleging it was evidence of a board that was not in sync with the will of the electorate.
This was Adduci’s first bid for elected office in Needham, where he has resided only since late 2023. He does hold two town volunteer positions as a member of the town’s Technology Advisory Board and the Needham Community Revitalization Trust Fund.
And while he will not join the Select Board, he did earn a seat at Town Meeting from Precinct G.
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