Dan Gaynor and David Micley will face off in the general election for a Newton City Council seat representing Ward 2.

Gaynor received 803 votes in Tuesday’s preliminary election, according to unofficial results posted to the city’s website Tuesday night, and Micley got 678 votes. And with 546, candidate Peter Bruce was knocked out of the running.

Gaynor, whose father served as alderman in the 1970s and 1980s, works for an AI-powered data analysis company he founded and later sold. He once served in a national security capacity for USAID under President Barack Obama’s administration and later as policy advisor for presidential candidate and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

“Born and raised here in Newton, I grew up watching my own parents’ commitment to service,” Gaynor said in a statement Tuesday night. As City Councilor, I will protect our community’s priorities, like holding developers accountable, preserving green space, and investing in education. From students to seniors, and from newcomers to life-long residents, Newton should remain the best place to live at any age or income.

“Tonight’s result proves that our message and approach is resonating,” Gaynor continued. “It’s clear Ward Two voters embrace our vision for substantive, data-driven policy. I’m proud to have built bridges throughout this campaign, including earning the most endorsements–and now, the most votes.”

Micley, who’s focused his messaging on availability—frequently mentioning that his cell phone number is on his website—has served in local government before. He was an elected member of Brookline Town Meeting for a few years when he lived there. He’s also been a teacher at the Hebrew College’s high school and a fellowship director in Tel Aviv, Israel, and he now works in business development for a digital asset firm.

The contest to fill Emily Norton’s seat was looking to be a simple two-person one, but then Bruce—after contracting and overcoming COVID-19—decided to give the race a run, setting up a runoff. Bruce, a former president of the Newrtonville Area Council, has been campaigning against much of the Village Center Overlay District proposal from an environmental standpoint, saying the plan would create a “playground for developers.”

Newton’s general election will be Nov. 7, with early voting starting Oct. 28.

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