According to the results from Tuesday’s primary election, it appears Johnston residents think Johnston is moving in the right direction and they are satisfied with who is steering the town into the future. Incumbents like Council President Robert V. Russo (D-Dist. 4) and Council Vice President Stephanie Manzi (D-Dist. 5) retained their Town Council seats by 353 votes and 248 votes, respectively, and State Rep. Deborah Fellela (D-Dist. 43) held on to her seat by 323 votes. In addition, political newcomer Melanie Turner defeated former Johnston councilman William Santilli by 144 votes to become the new councilwoman for District 1. The only Johnston races left to be decided in November are the District 2 council seat, where Keith Hartley defeated Debra Palermo to face off against incumbent independent Councilman Ernest Pitochelli, the District 3 race between sitting Democrat Councilman Joseph Wells and Republican opponent Peter Filippi III and independent candidate Raymond Acciardo’s challenge to Mayor Joseph Polisena. There was only one School Committee primary race and incumbent District 4 committeewoman Sandra Comella-Gabaree could not fend off the challenge from Joseph W. Rotella, who defeated her by 113 votes. While some of the winning candidates were endorsed and some were not, they all had one thing in common: they were backed by Polisena and assisted by his volunteers. His message of progress in Johnston as a result of teamwork by the elected officials now in office clearly resonated with voters. “[The primary] was a clear and concise message to malcontents that [the people of Johnston] don’t want to go backwards,” said Polisena at his headquarters Tuesday night. “The bad old days of the good old boys are over.” Russo and Manzi agreed; Manzi said Johnston’s constituency obviously “agrees with the momentum and movement of where [Johnston] is going”. “I think the voters know who’s working [for them],” Russo said. “[Voters] were also happy that we kept [the campaign] clean.” While incumbent victories appeared to translate into voter approval for the way the town is presently being run, there seemed to be a dividing line marked by the beginning of Polisena’s tenure 18 months ago. The defeat of Santilli and Natale, both of whom held town offices pre-Polisena, could signal that voters do not want to risk stopping Johnston’s progress by again electing names from the past. Further, the electorate seemed to want to take that one step further by electing candidates who have and will continue to support Polisena-based projects, including not only new development but things like the new soccer fields and the projected new fire station, all of which Polisena points out has been acquired without any taxpayer money. Whether or not the candidate was endorsed by the Town Democrat Party seemed irrelevant in light of the election results. Polisena and Russo stressed it is the endorsement of the people of Johnston that is important. “[This primary] is a loud and clear message to the members of the Town Committee,” Polisena said. “As long as [we] have the endorsement of the people of the town then [we’re] OK.” Turner was clearly thrilled with her victory over a seasoned politician on her first foray into politics; she said although it was tiring at times, it was worth all the effort. “You don’t realize how much work it is until you do it,” she said. “But along the way you get encouragement from constituents, family and friends and it keeps you going.” In fact, all of the victors, except Fellela, who refused comment, made note of the positive feedback they received from citizens. “When I was walking door-to-door, people seemed really happy with the way things are going,” said Rotella. “They were great, and I’m ready for the [challenge of representing them].”