District 4 Council race most contested on ballot Sept. 5. Here are the 5 candidates
WORCESTER – Of all the City Council seats in the Sept. 5 preliminary election, District 4 will be the most contested. Five candidates are making a bid for the seat.
With incumbent Sarai Rivera choosing not to run after serving five terms, the Nov. 7 municipal election will bring the district seat a fresh face.
District 4 covers the Main South, Piedmont and part of the College Hill neighborhoods and is bound by an area between Park Avenue, Highland and Main streets, and Madison and Vernon streets. Its southernmost portion also includes a pocket roughly defined by College and Southbridge streets.
Key issues in the district vary from housing, business and transportation.
In order of how they will appear in the preliminary ballot, the candidates are Luis Albizu Ojeda, Katia Gisela Norford, Theodore A. Kostas, Maureen Schwab and Maria V. Montano.
Luis Albizu Ojeda
Age: 48
Education: Master’s degree in education from Endicott College
Occupation: Assistant principal at University Park Campus School
For Ojeda, a Worcester native who has lived in the district since childhood, the main issues he sees in the district are safety and community building.
Ojeda is in his 22nd year in an administrative position, holding leadership positions at the Boys & Girls Club, becoming a Hall of Fame inductee in 2021.
In addition to holding the assistant’s principal’s office at University Park Campus School, Ojeda is in his 14th year coaching the boys’ basketball team.
“My focus will be on having more community forums where people can come, feel safe, enjoy their neighborhoods,” said Ojeda. “Where I grew up on Newbury Street everyone knew everyone. We’d talk to each other and that’s where I want the district to get to.”
Katia G. Norford
Age: 40
Education: Associate’s degree in accounting from Salter College
Occupation: Hair stylist, cosmetologist, businesswoman
Born in the Dominican Republic, Norford moved to Worcester at the age of 20, where she lived in District 4 since first moving to the United States.
After a few years of being in the city, Norford says she set off to do what she had always wanted to - own a business.
For the last 17 years, Norford has run Carlito’s Barbershop with her husband, which she says gives her a perspective for what it’s like to be a business owner in the district.
If elected, she said her main focus would be to support businesses in the district.
“I believe businesses are the backbone of our community,” Norford said. “We must create an environment that encourages growth and development that can create more jobs, increase revenue and make our neighborhoods more vibrant and prosperous.”
Theodore A. Kostas
Age: 63
Education: Doherty High School
Occupation: Former businessman, program coordinator Open Sky Community Services in Worcester
Born and raised in Worcester, Kostas says he has been successful as a real estate businessman for 35 years in New England and Florida.
He currently works as program coordinator at nonprofit group Open Sky Community Services, where he works with individuals who are in need of Section 8 housing.
Kostas also sits in different committees throughout the community, adding that he is entering a third term of the Citizens Advisory Council.
If elected in the district, Kostas said, housing would be his number one priority, as well as addressing concerns of business owners, such as the ones who will be temporarily relocated amidst a neighborhood revamp because of a Clark University multiyear project.
“I’ve enjoyed being a businessman and I enjoy doing the work I do now,” said Kostas. “I can bring experience to the table because of the increasing provisions for individuals without shelter.
“I’ve seen everything through my life.”
Maureen Schwab
Age: 71
Education: Master’s degree in nursing
Occupation: Registered nurse
Schwab’s main priority is tree planting in the Green Island neighborhood, where she has lived all her life.
In a recent interview, Schwab pointed to a recent study by Clark University students that found that Green Island temperatures were up to 10 degrees hotter on some summer days when compared to other parts of Worcester with more tree cover.
“It is becoming an emergency state,” said Schwab.
For the district as a whole, Schwab also showed concern about housing and safety, which she would also prioritize in tackling if elected in November.
“I’m very concerned about security,” said Schwab. “There isn't enough housing for people that is affordable and affordable really doesn't have a definition, as far as I'm concerned, in Worcester."
Maria V. Montano
Age: 44
Education: Attended Doherty and South high schools before getting GED from Adult Learning Center
Occupation: Homemaker
Montano’s core issues for the district are working on housing taxes, safety, working, tree planting in the Green Island neighborhood and transportation.
“I had a lot of issues getting a lot of resources during the pandemic,” said Montano. “I found that getting through the hoops of getting information or getting where I needed to be.
“I ride the bus. I see firsthand the issues the riders have to go through."
Montano also showed concern for Main South business owners who are looking at a likely relocation after Clark University, which owns the buildings, plans to build a seven-story student housing complex.
“I've noticed throughout the years how much property land has been bought by Clark University,” said Montano. “I’ve seen that the business owners are very nervous.
“I'm against it. I think we need to find another way with the housing crisis.”
More Worcester preliminary election: Meet the 3 candidates for District 1 City Council seat
More Worcester preliminary election: Meet the 3 candidates for District 2 City Council seat
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: District 4 Council race most contested Sept. 5. Here's the 5 candidates
