by Neil W. McCabe
At 8:30 p.m. the alderman for Ward 7 answered his cellphone and moved from the center of Teele Square's P.J. Ryan's pub to the least noisy corner by the sidewalk windows away from the bar.
Ward 7 Alderman Robert C. Trane greets supporters at P.J. Ryan's after winning a new term.
"I was very disappointed in that flyer you put out," said Robert C. Trane to his challenger, Rachel A. Heller, who was calling to offer her congratulations.
Before entering the pub, Trane said the Heller campaign's mailings had depicted him unfairly. "It was very negative. She used half-truths and misleading statements to make it look like I had done something wrong."
Trane said he was also disappointed that State Rep. Carl M. Sciortino, D, West Somerville, had endorsed Heller after the alderman had reached out to the legislator. "I was shocked."
Despite the vigorous campaign by Heller, Trane said he felt throughout the day that he was going to be returned to office from the greetings he got from voters and motorists as he held signs. "I am just ecstatic. This was a great statement from the voters that they recognize my hard work."