Luis Ojeda to replace Sarai Rivera as District 4 city councilor
WORCESTER — With an ecstatic group hug, Luis Albizu Ojeda celebrated his election to the City Council with family and friends at Electric Haze bar Tuesday evening.
He topped the race for the District 4 City Council seat and will succeed Sarai Rivera, who did not seek reelection.
"As the District 4 city councilor I look to enhance the district," Ojeda said, moments after the results came in. "It's a beautiful place. I want to represent you. I'm here to be your voice."
Ojeda, 48, an assistant principal at University Park Campus School, beat Katia Gisela Norford by a count of 916-835, or 52.3% to 47.7%, according to unofficial results.
District 4 covers Main South, Piedmont and part of the College Hill neighborhood 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.
A native of the Main South area, Ojeda has always brought issues with safety to the forefront.
Tuesday, Ojeda said he will be looking to add community ambassadors to the neighborhood. He has described them as individuals who would meet with the community to spread word about resources available to residents.
"I'm excited," said Ojeda after Tuesday's results. "I'm ready to hit that council floor and address those issues, and at the same time, celebrate the good that's going on in District 4."
Ojeda and Norford emerged from a five-way preliminary election in September.
Norford, 41, is a business owner of 17 years, running Carlito’s Barbershop with her husband.
Despite the result, for her there was reason to celebrate.
"The journey," Norford said. "The commitment within the community, meeting people, the door knocking, the experience has all been amazing.
"I'm willing to work with Ojeda and I really hope that he's doing it for the community. If that's his plan, I will be there to support him. One hundred percent."
Housing, business and transportation have been key issues in the district, with Clark University’s 161,881-square-foot student complex that looks to remake an entire Main South block by 2026 becoming a hot topic among candidates.
When Nuance and Shaughn Bryant cast their ballots at the polling site at Webster Square Towers around noon Tuesday, they cited high rents and growing homelessness as being on the ballot for their district.
The couple, who lived on Marble Street, also emphasized the importance of local voting.
“The unhoused population is booming,” said Nuance. “Now that we're moving on towards winter, with these skyrocketing rent rates, people are losing their homes.
“The people that we vote for City Council aren’t going to do anything about wars, but they are going to have a say in how we welcome refugees or if we welcome refugees.
“We really need people that are going to come in and make sure that Worcester keeps progressing in a manner that is consistent with our values.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Luis Ojeda to replace Sarai Rivera as District 4 city councilor
