By Adam Swift
Early voting for the Nov. 4 municipal election gets underway this Saturday, Oct. 25, at City Hall.
The early voting dates and times at City Hall for the municipal election are Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 27 through Thursday, Oct. 30 from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday, Oct. 31 from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
The polls on election day itself – Tuesday, Nov. 4 – will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This year’s election features several contested city council and school committee races, as well as one non-binding ballot question on recreational marijuana.
The city council at-large race has eight candidates looking to fill five seats. The five incumbents – Anthony Zambuto, Robert Haas, Marc Silvestri, Juan Pablo Jaramillo, and Michelle Kelley – are all running for reelection. In addition, longtime Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna is giving up her ward seat to run for an at-large position. Those candidates are joined on the ballot by former council candidates Anthony Parziale and Wayne Rose.
In Ward 1, James Mercurio and Brian Averback are looking to take the seat currently held by McKenna.
The other five incumbent ward councilors – Ira Novoselsky in Ward 2, Anthony Cogliandro in Ward 3, Paul Argenzio in Ward 4, Angela Guarino-Sawaya in Ward 5, and Christopher Giannino in Ward 6 – are running unopposed.
Four candidates are running for two at-large school committee seats, including John Kingston, Stacey Brondson-Rizzo, Frederick Sannella, and Ralph DeCicco Jr.
In the Ward 1 School Committee race, incumbent Jacqueline Monterroso is being challenged by Kathryn Schulte-Grahame.
In other school committee ward races, Rafael Feliciano and Alexander Rhalimi are on the ballot in Ward 2, Anthony Caggiano is running unopposed in Ward 3 as is Stephen Damiano Jr. in Ward 4.
In Ward 5, incumbent Aisha Millbury-Ellis is running unopposed, and in Ward 6, Vanessa Biasella is running unopposed for that school committee seat.
The non-binding ballot question asks if voters believe the city council should repeal its prohibition of recreational marijuana facilities in the city.
