CAMBRIDGE — Months-long campaigns came to an end on Tuesday night, when polls closed and the final votes were cast for mayor and commissioners from Wards 2 and 3.

Challenger Andrew Bradshaw beat three-term incumbent mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley, 1,643 votes to 1,219, or 57.41 percent to 42.59 percent.
In Ward 2, Lajan Cephas unseated incumbent Donald Sydnor, 223-218. In Ward 3, Jameson Harrington won another close contest, 216-210.
The results mean that the mayor’s office and all five commissioners’ posts will have new occupants.

The elections were run-offs — that is, in Cambridge when no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes, the top two compete in a second, and final election.

Tuesday’s victorss join the winners of the Oct. 17 election, in which Chad Malkus ran unopposed for the Ward 5 seat; Sputty Cephas won the Ward 4 job; and Brian Roche took over in Ward 1.

Interest was high and turnout was heavy throughout the process. “2,314 mail-in ballots have been received as of today, Monday, November 30!” a statement from the city said. “That’s a 10% increase from mail-in ballots in the general October election!”

The plan to supply mail-in ballots began before the COVID-19 pandemic made the method more popular across the nation. Discussions began after city officials learned that the municipal election would not be held on Nov. 3.

Then after the virus struck, funds from the federal government and the county health department were made available as a way to reduce the risk of spreading the illness.

Overall votes in the October contest themselves smashed previous tallies, with almost 3,000 ballots cast.