29 Candidates Are Running for 10 Worcester City Council Seats
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Tuesday, April 14, 2015
GoLocal Worcester News Team
The race for City Council is already getting crowded. To date, 29 people have submitted nomination papers to the Board of Election Commissioners to gain one of the At-Large or District seats.
SEE SLIDES BELOW: Worcester City Council Candidates
17 individuals have announced their candidacy for one of the five At-Large seats on the Council - already surpassing the total of 12 that rain in 2011 and 2013.
12 people have pulled papers to run for one of the five District seats.
All ten incumbents are running for re-election.
Current District 2 City Councilor Phil Palmieri will be running for an At-Large seat in the fall, thus voluntarily vacating his position. So far, four candidates have submitted papers to run for Palmieri’s state.
At the forefront is Jennithan Cortes who lost to Palmieri in 2013.
“Since I was a candidate for District 2 City Council in 2013 and as a byproduct of that firsthand experience in running a strong campaign built upon integrity and a sincere commitment to D2, I feel very comfortable with the time, effort and hard work that is required to being successful in 2015,” Cortes told GoLocal in a recent interview. “However, as I am not a professional politician nor am I immersed with any special interest groups, the biggest obstacles I will face are finances and “volunteer” labor as compared to other candidates so we will focus on this truly being a hands-on grassroots campaign.”
Running against Cortes is Candy Mero-Carlson, Larry Shelter, and Ana Sequera.
Sequera announced her candidacy in March. Sequera has lived in District 2 for 16 years. Sequera serves on the Board of WCUW 91.3 Community Radio in Worcester, and has served previously on the Citizens Advisory Council for the City of Worcester. Sequera is co-pastor with her husband Jesus Sequera at Ministry of Reconciliation.
Sequera, who is launching her first run for political office, said “I’m running to be a district councilor that builds bridges of communication and innovation in the community."
Current Candidates for District City Council Seats.
The District 4 City Council seat is currently occupied by Sarai Rivera. Rivera, a clincial therapist and co-senior pastor of Christian Community Church, will be seeking her third two-year term this fall.
Rivera will be squaring off against 17-year-old Luis Portillo, a senior at Claremont Academy, and Jacqueline Kostas.
As it currently stands, in Districts 1,3 and 5, incumbents are running unopposed.
In Districts 1 and 3, Tony Economou and George Russell, respectively, will be seeking reelection for their third two-year term.
Councilor Gary Rosen will be seeking his second two-year term representing District 5. He previously served as Councilor At-Large for six years and was a member of the Worcester School Committee for ten years.
The City Council will meet tonight at 7 PM at City Hall. Candidates must hand in nomination papers by 5 PM on May 19. The last day to withdraw nominations is May 28.
Current List of Candidates for At-Large Council Positions
For a look at all 29 City Council Candidates, see the slides below:
Related Slideshow: Candidates for Worcester City Council
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Morris Bergman
Running At-Large
Bergman will be seeking his second two-year term as City Councilor At-Large.
Bergman currently serves as Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Safety.
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Michael Gaffney
Running At-Large
Gaffney is seeking his second two-year term as City Councilor At-Large.
Gaffney announced that he will also be running for Mayor in this fall's election.
Gaffney is Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Traffic & Parking and Chaiperson of the Standing Committee on Veterans & Military Affairs.
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Kate Toomey
Running At-Large
Toomey has been an At-Large Councilor for the past ten years, serving five terms.
Before the City Council, Toomey served six years as a member of the Worceste School Committee.
She holds the position of Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Works.
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Joe Petty
Running At-Large
Worcester's Mayor Joe Petty will be seeking his tenth two-year term as Councilor At-Large and his third term as Mayor this fall.
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Rick Rushton
Running At-Large
Rick Rushton will be seeking his fifth two-year term as Councilor At-Large. Previoulsy, Rushton served as District 5 Councilor and City Council Vice Chairperson.
Rushton is Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Economic Development.
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Konnie Lukes
Running At-Large
Lukes, the longest tenured City Councilor, will be running for her fourteenth two-year term as Councilor At-Large.
From 2007 to 2009, Lukes was Mayor of Worcester. She also served eight years on the Worcester School Committee.
Lukes is Chairperson of the Standing Committe on Public Service & Transportation.
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Phil Palmieri
Running At-Large
Palmieri has been District 2 City Councilor for 14 years. He will be running for an At-Large position this fall.
Palmieri is Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Municipal Operations.
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Khrystian King
Running At-Large
In 2013, King ran for State Representative for the 16th Worcester District, but ultimately lost to Dan Donahue.
King is a Social Worker with the Mass. Department of Children and Families.
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William Coleman
Running At-Large
Coleman has run for mayor and City Councilor At-Large eight times since 1991. Coleman has been an activist in the city since the 1970s.
Coleman is a graduate of Worcester State University and former Nutrion Educator for the University of Massachusetts.
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Linda Parham
Running At-Large
Dr. Parham is the Education Chair for the Worcester branch of the NAACP.
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Juan Gomez
Running At-Large
Gomez is a former Worcester city councilor and is currently President and CEO of Centro Las Americas.
Gomez served as Vice Chairman of the City Council from 2004 to 2006.
Pictured: Juan Gomez (right) with Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis
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Ronald O'Clair
Running At-Large
O'Clair is a writer for InCity TImes Magazine.
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Carmen Carmona
Running At-Large
Carmona ran for City Councilor At-Large in 2011 and 2013.
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Thomas L'Ecuyer
Running At-Large
L'Ecuyer is a graduate of South High School and is currently employed with Morrison Management Specialists.
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George Russell
Running for District 3 City Councilor
Russell will be seeking his third two-year term as District Three Councilor.
Russell is the Chairperson of the Standing Committe on Rules & Legislative Affairs.
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Tony Economou
Running for District 1 City Councilor
Economou will be seeking his third two-year term as District One Councilor.
Economou serves as Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Education.
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Jennithan Cortes
Running for District 2 City Councilor
Cortes will be running against three other candidates for District 2 City Councilor. He ran in 2013 and lost to Phil Palmieri.
Check out GoLocal's Interview with Cortes here: Worcester PowerPlayer: Jennithan Cortes.
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Sarai Rivera
Running for District 4 City Councilor
Rivera is is seeking her third two-year term as District 4 City Councilor. Rivera is a clincial therapist and co-senior pastor of Christian Community Church.
Rivera serves as Chairperson of the Standing Committe on Public Health & Human Services.
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Gary Rosen
Running for District 5 City Councilor
Rosen will be seeking his second two-year term representing District 5. He is currently running unopposed.
Rosen previously served as Councilor At-Large for six years and was a member of the Worcester School Committee for ten years.
Rosen serves as Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Youth, Parks & Recreation.
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Cindy Nguyen
Running for District 1 City Councilor
Nguyen is a graduate of Burncoat High School and will be graduating from Holy Cross this May with Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science and Philosophy.
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Jacqueline Kostas
Running for District 4 City Councilor
Kostas ran for State Representative for Worcester's 13th District in 2014. Kostas works with Customer Service at Wal-Mart. For 12 years, Kostas worked for Sam's Club in Worcester. She became a U.S. Citizen in 2008.
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Luis Portillo
Running for District 4 City Councilor
Portillo, 17-years-old, is currently a senior at Claremont Academy in Worcester.
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Ana Sequera
Running for District 2 City Councilor
Sequera is former President of the Board of Oak Hill CDC and is a current Youth Coordinator.
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