I would like to say "Thank You" for the honor of the trust Ward 1 has shown in me. I want to live up to that trust. There are so many wonderful people in our ward and this race has given me the opportunity to get to know them better. To those who supported me I cannot say "Thank You" enough. To those who didn't support me I would say that I would be happy to listen to your thoughts and concerns.

I am not a one-issue person. I have difficulty understanding people who only vote about one issue. I am multifaceted and care about a great many things and though my priority list may be different than someone else's, I am confident that the majority of us care about the same basic things.

Elections are exciting! Some people choose a candidate to support early on. They identify with their pick and go to bat for him or her by holding a sign or putting in a lawn sign or writing a letter of support. Some give money. It's all a part of the process of democracy at work.

As I was standing out at the Knights of Columbus on Tuesday, I felt in awe of our system of freedom. Truly, sometimes people feel hurt when they lose. Sometimes candidates say or do things that they regret. But we don't have the bloodshed and chaos that other countries have. We may have a harsh word or two, maybe several. We may have a downed lawn sign or a nasty anonymous blogger. The worst thing to have is a lost friendship. But that is about as bad as it gets. To that extent, we are not doing so very badly.

Candidates stick their necks out in a huge way. To be a candidate is to risk losing, surely the reason why so many people don't run. I also thought about that a lot on election day. That's the day when you are under a magnifying glass and the stress is incredible. You don't want to let everyone down who has helped you or believed in you. But in order to be in politics it helps to enjoy the process. That means enjoying the emotional rollercoaster. That means appreciating the win because you know how it feels to lose. I won this time. But I have supported candidates who have lost. When you work so hard for someone and they lose you know almost exactly how they feel because you have identified so closely with them and given so much of yourself for the effort. I am thankful for the interest in our race. Mr. Lazzerini provided a nice contrast to myself. Together we gave the voters a choice. I won this time. But I do not take it for granted. I will never take it for granted. I will want to earn it every time. Thank you, Ward 1.

Cherie Felos of South Attleboro was elected Ward 1 councilor on Tuesday.