On the last day to file for candidacy in the November election, Noemi Wierwille announced her campaign against incumbent Stacey Brown in Ward 5, who had become an outspoken member of the City Council in her first term.

Six weeks later on election day, more votes were cast in that race than in any other ward in the city as 1,200 residents took to the polls. The contest drew an endorsement for Wierwille from Mayor Jim Bouley and talk about the importance of working with others.

“[Wierwille] brings a fresh perspective and a demonstrated commitment to ethics, transparency and the ability to unite different voices,” Bouley wrote in a letter to the editor that came in Sunday, after the deadline for political endorsements. “She is dedicated to making unbiased decisions, fostering cooperation and ensuring a more effective local government.”

The wife of a Concord police officer, Brown had to recuse herself from any votes or discussions regarding the police department. She also challenged the council to take more action to diversify the members of city-appointed boards and commissions. Bouley eventually established his own diversity committee. Brown also challenged spending priorities and questioned the hiring of a new assistant golf professional when the city was struggling to hire enough lifeguards to keep the free city pools open during the summer months.

Brown won the election with 660 votes while Wierwille earned 559 — about a 55% to 45% margin.

“I am so thrilled and I have so many great ideas,” Brown said on Wednesday. “I am just really looking forward to working with the new council and I am going to work very hard to do my best for the city with this new council.”

The contrast between the candidates became evident during a community forum in October.

“I am running because so many of my fellow Ward 5 residents know my commitment to public service and asked me to step up,” Wierwille said. “I agreed with a lot of what I heard. They want a city councilor that listens, promotes transparency and has high ethical standards for themselves and city government.”

Brown fired back.

“I am happy that I am able to spend the time investing in my residents and, unlike my opponent, I have been very transparent about recusing myself from the connections that I have when I meet with voters and residents,” Brown countered.

Wierwille is a sitting member of the Ad-Hoc Beaver Meadow Golf Course Building Committee, which is forming plans to build a new clubhouse t the city-owned course. Brown has been critical of the proposed expense, saying those millions of dollars could be used to pay for services and projects that would serve a greater number of people.

“That’s half a million dollars to design a clubhouse ahead of a library, an ADA playground, a new police station and a middle school,” Brown said.

Leading up to election day, Wierwille campaigned in Ward 5 alongside Ward 3 Councilor Jennifer Kretovic, a fellow member of the Golf Course Building Committee who has clashed with Brown at council meetings.

When Brown knocked on some of the same doors, she was surprised by what she heard.

“People were saying ‘I’m concerned you can’t fully represent me,’ and thought I’d vote down a budget that didn’t benefit my husband,” Brown said. “It really bothered me because people were saying they couldn’t support me because they questioned my ethics. Never have I had anyone question my ethics.”

Brown said she plans to set up meetings to reaffirm her commitment to city residents and debunk any untruths they may have heard during the campaign.

“This could have a corrupting influence on my ability to represent my constituents if they feel like they can’t trust me and that is unsettling and means that someone is actively lying to them,” Brown said. “But I’m going to deal with it the way that I have dealt with it my whole life – build my allies, work hard and stay professional.”

Wierwille said she campaigned on her own beliefs and desire to serve the city, not part of any effort to take down Brown. Although she doesn’t outwardly support Brown, she said she wants the best for the city and the best for Ward 5.

“There were issues that came up during the campaign about representing the totality of the city budget, which I imagine will continue to be issues in the next few years,” Wierwille said.

On Tuesday, Wierwille and Brown stood near each other outside the Christa McAulife School holding their respective signs while Bouley held a sign supporting Wierwille.

A resident of Ward 5, Bouley has served on the city council for the last 26 years, 10 as a ward councilor and 16 as mayor of Concord.

Wierwille said Bouley was not one of the Ward 5 residents who encouraged her to run. She said she chose to enter the race when she saw it was uncontested and because she wanted to bring her ideas to the table.

Newly elected at-large councilor Judith Kurtz, said she’s seen firsthand the impact Brown has had on Ward 5 these last two years.

“Stacey Brown has done what she said she was going to do. She is hard-working, vocal and seems to work hard to connect with residents,” Kurtz said. “In general, I’d say our viewpoints mostly align but she’s a tough contender and she’s going to speak her mind and so am I, but in a different manner.”

Brown and Kurtz have not worked together in the past but are excited to do so in the future, they said independently of each other. With the introduction of six new councilors in January, change is imminent.

“I feel like with all of the councilors, if we approach things believing we all have the best interest in mind, my goal is to try to find ways we can work together toward those goals even when we disagree,” Kurtz said. “I worked really hard in my campaign to stay out of any negative rhetoric.”

Newcomers will take office on Jan. 1 to include Michele Horne in Ward 2 who beat out opponent Rob Kleiner; Jim Schlosser won in Ward 7 over 18-year incumbent Keith Nyhan; Ali Sekou prevailed over Jonathan Cate and Dennis Soucey in Ward 8; Kris Schultz bested newcomer Andrew Georgevits in Ward 9; and Jeff Foote defeated incumbent Zandra Rice Hawkins in Ward 10 by more than 50.

Kurtz and Nathan Fennessy won two seats as at-large councilors in a race with five candidates, including Kevin Porter, Matthew Hicks and Taylor Hall. Incumbents Karen McNamara and Paula McLaughlin were reelected while Brent Todd and Jennifer Kretovic ran unopposed. At-large councilor Byron Champlin won the mayoral election with more than 70% of the vote.

Wierwille said she plans to stay active, including continuing to serve on the golf course building committee.

“My final message to residents is to please stay engaged, attend public forums, pay attention to how your representation is showing, weigh in on the issues that matter to you and join a committee if you have the time and passion about a particular issue,” Wierwille said. “There are a lot of ways to get involved.”