Framingham's Sept. 19 preliminary election features one contest. Who is on the ballot
FRAMINGHAM — A three-way City Council race in District 9 will be the only contest in next month's preliminary election.
On Tuesday, Sept. 19, voters in District 9 — Precincts 1, 2 and 3 — will vote at Harmony Grove Elementary School for one of three candidates on the ballot. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In that race, incumbent City Councilor Tracey Bryant is being challenged by Pratt Street resident Jose Ferreira and South Street resident Albert Chimeno. The top two vote-getters face off in the Nov. 7 city election.
A preliminary election is held in Framingham only when more than two candidates qualify for a single spot on the ballot.
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Come November, there will be two additional contested elections for City Council. Following Cesar Stewart-Morales' decision to not seek re-election in District 2, there will be a contested race between Brandon Ward, a Keefe Tech School Committee member and board president for the Friends of Saxonville, and Sean Silk, a Delmar Avenue resident.
The other contested City Council race is in District 8, with incumbent John Stefanini being challenged by Leslie White Harvey, a former School Committee candidate and current vice chair for the Board of Library Trustees.
The remaining candidates for City Council will run unopposed: At-Large Councilors Janet Leombruno and George King; Christine Long in District 1, Adam Steiner in District 3; Michael Cannon in District 4; Noval Alexander in District 5; Phil Ottaviani in District 6; and Leora Mallach in District 7.
Withdrawals create clear path for School Committee candidates
A series of withdrawals has resulted in all nine School Committee candidates running unopposed. The deadline for qualified candidates to withdraw from the ballot was Aug. 2.
In District 1, Ricardo Robles will be the only candidate on the ballot, after Jordan Bonner withdrew. Robles, a Fox Creek Lane resident, is seeking to fill a spot that was vacated with the June resignation of Beverly Hugo, who moved out of Framingham.
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In District 3, incumbent Jennifer Moshe was set to be challenged by Jamaris Godino, but Godino withdrew from the race last month.
In District 5, current committee member Priscila Sousa is not seeking re-election after being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives last year. Three candidates returned nomination papers —Judy Styer, Cheryl Gordon and Ernest Moreau — but Gordon and Moreau have each withdrawn from the race. That leaves Styer, former director of health and wellness for Framingham Public Schools, as the only candidate.
The remaining School Committee candidates running unopposed include incumbents David Gordon in District 2; Adam Freudberg in District 4; Valerie Ottaviani in District 6; Tiffanie Maskell in District 7; Jessica Barnhill in District 8; and William LaBarge in District 9.
The race for positions on the Board of Library Trustees will be competitive, with eight candidates running for six positions. Candidates are as follows, with incumbents in bold.
Robert Dodd
Annabel Dodd
Janet Harrington
Moluna Cynthia Blanc Preiss Maclean
Julie Wolf
Heather Klish
Andrew Machkasov
Mark Dugan
Library trustee positions are citywide seats, with those elected serving four-year terms.
There are also two candidates — Susan Silva and John Feeney — running for a pair of seats on the Cemetery Board of Trustees. Both are incumbents.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham preliminary election has a single contested race
