By Adam Swift
Potential candidates for the municipal election this fall have been busy over the past several weeks.
As of Monday, every incumbent city councilor had taken out papers to run for reelection.
However, one of those incumbents, Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna, has taken out papers to run for an at-large seat. If all the candidates return their nomination papers, that means at least one current city councillor could lose their seat.
The other incumbents who have taken out papers for the five at-large seats include Anthony Zamburo, Juan Pablo Jaramillo, Michelle Kelley, Robert Haas, III, and current Council President Marc Silvestri. Past council candidates Wayne Rose and Anthony Parziale have also taken out papers to run for an at-large position.
With McKenna running for an at-large seat, it opens up the race for the first new Ward 1 Councillor in over a decade. James Mercurio and Brian Averback have taken out papers for that seat so far.
As of Monday, no one has stepped up to challenge Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky, Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro, Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio, Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya, or Ward 6 Councillor Chris Giannino.
School committee candidates who have taken out nomination papers include Ralph Decicco and John Kingston at-large, Jacqueline Monterroso in Ward 1, Rafael Feliciano and Alexander Rhalimi in Ward 2, Anthony Caggiano in Ward 3, Stephen Damiano Jr. in Ward 4, Aisha Millbury Ellis in Ward 5, and Vanessa Biasella in Ward 6.
The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4. The preliminary election, if there are enough certified candidates to warrant it, would take place on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
All potential candidates need to gather 50 qualified signatures to be placed on the ballot. Candidates must file nomination papers with the election department by Tuesday, July 29 at 5 p.m.
The deadline to register to vote for the preliminary election is Saturday, Sept. 6 by 5 p.m. The deadline to register to vote for the general election is Saturday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m.
In the event of a close election, the last day for a candidate to file for a recount for the preliminary election is Monday, Sept. 22. The last day to file for a recount for the general election is Friday, Nov. 14.
