A pair of primary elections will be held this September to whittle down the field in the races for mayor and Ward 6 city councilor.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt will face a pair of challengers in residents Rochelle Agneta and Robert Stevens — the first time since Bettencourt was elected in 2011 that a contested race will top the ballot. The mayoral primary and a primary for Ward 6 city councilor — where Michael Higgins, William Cardello, and Ryan Cox are vying to take the council seat vacated by Mark O’Neill, who opted not to run for reelection this fall — will be held on Sept. 12. The top two vote-getters in both races will advance to the general election in November.
The Board of Registrars will meet this week to determine the order in which candidates’ names will appear on the ballot in the primary elections.
And, with the deadline to take out — and return — nomination papers having passed, the rest of the ballot it set.
All five incumbent city councilors-at-large — Jon Turco, Tom Rossignoll, Anne Manning-Martin, Ryan Melville, and Tom Gould — are seeking reelection, but face a challenge from resident Bukia Chalvire. Chalvire ran for councilor-at-large in 2021 and lost.
Of the remaining ward councilor races, just one is contested — the Ward 2 councilor post. In that race, incumbent Peter McGinn will square off against Mary Beth Mallia. Ward 1, 3, 4, and 5 Councilors Craig Welton, Stephanie Peach, Julie Daigle, and Dave Gamache, respectively, are all seeking reelection and running unopposed.
On the School Committee, incumbents Joe Amico, Brandi Carpenter, and John Olimpio will likely secure new three-year terms, barring a last-minute write-in campaign.
Further down the ballot, three candidates — including a pair of incumbents — are vying for two spots on the Municipal Lighting Commission. Thomas Pappas is mounting a challenge to incumbents Thomas D’Amato and William Aylward.
Voters will also elect a candidate to serve out the remainder of a two-year unexpired term on the commission. Tracy Valletti, who was appointed to the commission to fill a vacancy earlier this year, will face off against Robert Wheatley.
The race for Library Board of Trustees features five candidates running for four seats. Those candidates are Emily Cooper, Stacy Dolin, and incumbents Katrina Vassallo, Kate O’Brien, and Frances Bisazza Gallugi, who chairs the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The full municipal election will be held on Nov. 7.
