Five candidates are seeking to represent Manchester and the rest of Cape Ann in the 5th Essex District, with Democratic and Republican primaries set for tomorrow, March 3, and a special election to follow March 31.
The race will determine who will succeed the late Ann-Margaret Ferrante. Voters in Manchester, along with Gloucester, Rockport and Essex, will choose party nominees. Independent candidate Gilbert Frieden of Essex will not appear on the primary ballot and will advance directly to the special election.
On the Republican side, Manchester attorney Christina Delisio faces small business owner Ashley Sullivan. Democrats Dru Tarr of Gloucester and Sarah Wilkinson of Rockport are competing for their party’s nomination.
Four of the five candidates met last week in a February 25 forum hosted by Cape Ann PAC at Gloucester High School to answer questions about issues affecting Cape Ann. Sullivan did not attend, leaving Delisio as the only Republican on stage.
In an interview with Delisio, she said her experience in municipal government gives her insight into how state policies affect smaller coastal towns like Manchester. A central theme of her campaign is what she describes as Beacon Hill’s overreach into local decision-making.as an attorney and local official distinguishes her from the other candidates and prepares her for work on Beacon Hill.
She supports auditing the MA Legislature, noting that although 72% of voters backed the measure in the 2024 ballot, she said she would push for greater transparency and accountability.
Delisio is a vocal critic of the MBTA Communities law, which requires certain municipalities to zone for multifamily housing. She told Cricket the mandate is "complete government overreach,” and said that infrastructure constraints in towns such as Manchester must be considered before adding density.
Instead of focusing primarily on large apartment developments, Delisio said the state should help communities identify underused public land — such as Department of Public Works sites — for smaller, affordable homes aimed at young families and seniors.
She also opposes the state’s 2050 net-zero emissions mandate, calling the timeline “too aggressive” and raising concerns about rising energy costs for residents.
Sullivan’s family situation changed when her husband, who has a background in IT, was able to fix the computers on a fishing boat during a trip, saving the crew tens of thousands of dollars. This incident revealed a local need for marine electronics, which allowed them to build a business and "build up into something better".
Sullivan used her background to identify as “blue collar working class,” and said it gives her a unique understanding of the needs of the community. Her past struggles reflect on her current priorities in this election, and also motivates her to seek change because of the frustrations she felt with state policy.
She has called for generating new state revenue without raising taxes, including filing HD.4388, a bill that would allow 18 to 21-year-olds to gamble in Massachusetts casinos. She argues the change could recapture revenue lost to neighboring states.
Sullivan has criticized the rise in electricity rates and opposes new taxes on natural gas. She lists completing a state audit as her top priority, saying lawmakers must identify waste and clarify the commonwealth’s financial standing.
She also said she would emphasize strong constituent services, concerns she heard in past campaigns about responsiveness from elected officials.
He believes the budget is the most pressing issue right now, with the House set to debate the budget in April. The goal is economic development through the budget, especially housing affordability and education. He wants to make sure that there is advocating to drive the dollars back to Cape Ann.
Housing affordability tops the list for priorities in the 5th Essex District for Tarr. He supports the MBTA Communities Act as a tool for affordable housing but emphasizes that it must be applied logically. He has argued that high-density housing should be placed where transit and economic activity already exist.
Behind housing affordability, economic development is important to Tarr. When he talks about economic developments it is not just jobs, but well paying jobs to lift people up. In order to achieve this, education is a large part of that.
Tarr wants to keep moving these record setting schools in Cape Ann forward, to create strong education to build opportunities for people to receive well-paying jobs to boost economic development in the area.
She describes herself as a “local mom who cares so deeply about this community”, and said her long tenure in local government has given her firsthand experience with housing pressures, school funding and small-business challenges across Cape Ann.
Wilkinson said she has been meeting with residents in Manchester, Gloucester, Rockport and Essex to shape her priorities. She argues that housing, schools and economic vitality are closely linked.
While acknowledging the need for housing, Wilkinson has advocated for greater local control over state mandates. She proposed that the state should have funded individual consultants for each community to help them find goals that fit their specific infrastructure, rather than the 'one-size-fits-all' approach of the MBTA Communities Act.
She said community preservation projects can go across city and town lines to tackle community issues, and that it is the responsibility of state elected officials to coordinate working together.
He complements this financial expertise with hands-on community service, such as his work with Meals on Wheels. Frieden notes that this volunteerism allows him to connect one-on-one with seniors to understand their daily struggles before applying his management skills to find broader solutions.
Frieden said he “represent(s) the majority of Cape Ann”, citing 25,000 out of the 38,000 voters on Cape Ann are unenrolled. He views himself as the voice for voters who are "fed up with the 2 party system" and emphasizes that he does not answer to a "party boss".
He identifies his top three areas of focus are housing, power (electricity), and the environment, specifically centered around the Gloucester sewer renovation. He argues that infrastructure is the primary bottleneck for growth, stating, "we can’t build housing if we can’t flush toilets". Once sewer capacity is increased, he plans to focus on the electricity grid's ability to power new homes.
Frieden also believes tourism is an issue which needs stronger attention at the state level. He believes the state must use “levers” like tax incentives to protect the local retail businesses from online competition. He specifically aims to preserve the "character of the region" found in places like Bearskin Neck in Rockport.
Voters will head to the polls for the primary election on Tuesday, March 3. The winners of those party contests will then face off against Gilbert Frieden in the special election on Tuesday, March 31.
Emma Gulaskey is a student at Endicott College studying journalism. This story is published in partnership with the Massachusetts News Service.
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