By VINAYA SAKSENA

EAST PROVIDENCE — Local election results in East Providence saw three City Council seats and one school committee position contested this year, including at-large positions on both bodies.

Former Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. was listed as having garnered 9,377 votes, or 58.4 percent of the vote, compared to 6,677 or 41.6 percent for his opponent, Paul Lemont, known for having served a long stint as city manager as well as being the former town administrator of nearby Seekonk, Massachusetts. Larisa could not be reached for comment, but for his part, Lemont said that while he was disappointed to have lost his bid for the at-large council seat, he was willing to accept the results gracefully.
“It appears that my opponent has won,” Lemont said. “I certainly wish him the very best, and hope he is able to move the city ahead.”
In Ward 2, meanwhile, Brian G. Coogan reportedly garnered 1,802 votes, or 51.9 percent of the vote, compared with 1,668 votes or 48.1 percent for Bryan P. Silva. In a previous race, Silva had won against Coogan. Valerie A. Perry won the Ward 3 council seat with 2,175 votes, or 56.3 percent, compared with 1,688 or 43.7 percent for her opponent, Richard P. Smith.
The Ward 1 council seat was won by the Robert E. Cusack, one of two unopposed council candidates, with 3,272 votes. In Ward 4, Bruce R. DiTraglia took the other uncontested seat with 3,587 votes.
Meanwhile, Luisa A. Abatecola took the at-large school committee seat with 9,067 votes, or 60.7 percent of the vote, compared with 5,868 or 39.3 percent for Francine I. Brelsford. Having never held office in East Providence before, Abatecola said she was “feeling pretty good” after learning of the results, and looked forward to making an effort to improve the political atmosphere surrounding local schools.
“I’m hoping we’ll all be able to bring this back to a normal city,” Abatecola said. “I want to work as a team with everyone. I plan to get acclimated first and sit down with an open mind.”
Brelsford had not returned calls seeking comment as of press time.
Other school committee candidates won their seats unopposed. Anthony Carcieri took the Ward 1 seat with 3,092 votes, while Shannon L. Barbosa took Ward 2 with 2,301 votes. Robert Faria clinched Ward 3 with 3,026 votes and Steven E. Santos took Ward 4 with 3,555 votes.
It was not known whether or not any of those who did not win their races would try again in a future election. Lemont said it was too soon to tell, but said he maintained a strong interest in the city’s affairs — more out of concern for its future than anything else.