Tuesday is preliminary election day in Worcester. What you need to know

Marco Cartolano, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·5 min read

WORCESTER — Voters will choose two candidates in each of the five municipal races in Tuesday's preliminary election who will advance to November's election. Four races are for competitive district councilor seats and one for a school committee district.

The municipal election will be held Nov. 7.

Who is on the ballot Tuesday

Preliminary elections for City Council districts 1,2,4 and 5 and School Committee District E will be held Tuesday.

This year is the first time the majority of School Committee candidates are running for specific district seats — District A through F — rather than all at-large.

The new districts were created as part of a consent decree after a coalition of groups, including the local NAACP chapter and Worcester Interfaith, sued the city alleging the previous system was discriminatory.

The following candidates are vying for votes:

District 1 City Councilor candidates are, let to right, Jennifer Pacillo, David Peterson and Larry Shetler.
District 1 City Councilor candidates are, let to right, Jennifer Pacillo, David Peterson and Larry Shetler.

In District 1, Jennifer Pacillo, David Peterson and Larry Shetler are running to succeed District 1 City Councilor Sean Rose.

In District 1, Robert Bilotta, Philip Palmieri, center, and Candy Mero-Carlson are running.
In District 1, Robert Bilotta, Philip Palmieri, center, and Candy Mero-Carlson are running.

In District 2, incumbent Candy Mero-Carlson faces two challengers: Former District 2 City Councilor Philip Palmieri and Robert Bilotta.

Candidates for District 4 City Council seat are, clockwise from top left, Maureen Schwab, Luis Albizu Ojeda, Maria V. Montano, Theodore A. Kostas and Katia Gisela Norford.
Candidates for District 4 City Council seat are, clockwise from top left, Maureen Schwab, Luis Albizu Ojeda, Maria V. Montano, Theodore A. Kostas and Katia Gisela Norford.

District 4 is the most contested race with five candidates hoping to succeed District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera: Luis Ojeda, Katia Norford, Theodore Kostas, Maria Montano and Maureen Schwab.

District 5
District 5

In District 5, incumbent Etel Haxhiaj faces two challengers: Jose Rivera and Edson Montero.

School Committee candidates
School Committee candidates

In School Committee District E, Nelly Medina, John Patrick Reed and Kathleen Roy are running to fill the newly created seat.

Does my neighborhood vote in a preliminary election Tuesday?

District 1 covers the following neighborhoods: Salisbury Street, Westwood Hills, Assumption University, Hancock Hill, Grove Street, Holden Street, Indian Hill, Indian Lake, Greendale, the Summit, Quinsigamond Community College, Upper Burncoat, Clark Street, Lincoln Village, Great Brook Valley, Curtis Apartments, Montvale and Massachusetts Avenue Local Historic Districts, Hammond Heights, Bancroft Tower, Winter Heights and Richmond/Flagg.

District 2 extends from Park Avenue to the shore of Lake Quinsigamond, encompassing the Bell Hill, Franklin Plantation, Indian Lake East and Brittan Square neighborhoods; City Hall and some of Worcester’s major commercial areas and attractions including Shrewsbury Street, the Canal District, the Ecotarium and Polar Park.

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.

District 5 covers the neighborhoods of Columbus Park, Stafford, Heard and Main streets from Webster Square to Cherry Valley, Airport Hill, Botany Bay, Mill and June streets, Newton Square, Worcester State University, Tatnuck, West Tatnuck, Beaver Brook and Moreland Hill.

School Committee District E covers the southernmost portion of the city including neighborhoods like Webster Square, Hadwen Park, Quinsigamond Village and College Hill.

Who is not on the ballot Tuesday?

City Council District 3 will not have a preliminary election as there are only two candidates vying for the seat: Incumbent George Russell and Feanna Jattan-Singh.

All at-large City Council and mayoral candidates will advance to November's election. The mayoral race is made up of members of the larger at-large candidate pool. At-large candidates must choose whether to opt out of the mayoral race.

Four candidates have declared their intention to run for mayor: Mayor Joseph M. Petty, Councilor-at-large Khrystian King, Guillermo Creamer Jr. and William Coleman.

The remainder of the at-large field is made up of the following candidates: Incumbents Kathleen Toomey, Thu Nguyen, Morris Bergman and Donna Colorio as well as Domenica Perrone, Maydeé Morales and Johanna Hampton-Dance.

For School Committee, four district seats only have one candidate: Current School Committee members Molly McCullough and Jermaine Johnson for Districts A and F, respectively; Vanessa Alvarez for District B and Alex Guardiola for District D.

Former School Committee member Dianna Biancheria is challenging current member Jermoh Kamara for the District C seat.

Current members Tracy O'Connell Novick, Laura Clancey and Susan Coghlin Mailman are running to fill the two at-large seats as well as former Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Maureen Binienda.

Where can I vote?

Residents can find their polling place on the city's website.

The following locations are polling places Tuesday:

  • Congregation Beth Israel social hall, 15 Jamesbury Drive

  • Nelson Place Elementary gym, 35 Nelson Place

  • Assumption College, La Maison Francais, 500 Salisbury St.

  • Market 32's left front door, 72 Pullman St.

  • Unitarian Universalist Church hall, 90 Holden St.

  • Salem Covenant Church social hall, 215 Mountain St. East

  • Zion Lutheran Church hall, 41 Whitmarsh Ave.

  • Burncoat High School gym, 179 Burncoat St.

  • Lincoln Village Residents Alliance, 116 Country Club Blvd.

  • Multi-Purpose Center at Great Brook Valley, 180 Constitution Ave.

  • Worcester Technical High School gym, 1 Officer Manny Familia Way

  • Belmont Apartments community room, 40 Belmont St.

  • Worcester Center for Crafts lobby, 25 Sagamore Road

  • Living Word Church, 30 Tyler Prentice Road

  • Friendly House gym, 36 Wall St.

  • American Legion East Side Post, 326 Plantation St.

  • Worcester Public Library Saxe Room, 3 Salem Square

  • Mt. Carmel Apartments, 50 Shrewsbury St.

  • Lincoln Park Towers community room, 11 Lake Ave.

  • North High School gym, 140 Harrington Way

  • Addison Apartments community room, 6 Addison St.

  • Lake Park Community House, 300 Lake Ave.

  • Massachusetts Audubon Society learning center, 414 Massasoit Road

  • Our Lady of Loreto, 33 Massasoit Road

  • Worcester Senior Center lunch room, 128 Providence St.

  • Blackstone Heritage Corridor, 3 Paul Clancy Way

  • Saint Matthews Church, 695 Southbridge St.

  • Emanuel Lutheran Church, 200 Greenwood St.

  • Beaver Brook Community Building, 15 Mann St.

  • Coes Pond Village, 39 First St.

  • Stearns Tavern, 140 Mill St.

  • Shaw's Supermarket, 68 Stafford St.

  • Hadwen Park Congregational Church, 6 Clover St.

  • Saint Peter's Church hall, 929 Main St.

  • Webster Square Towers community room, 1050 Main St.

  • South Worcester Neighborhood Center, 47 Camp St.

  • Blessed Sacrament Phelan Center gym, 551 Pleasant St.

  • Christ the King Catholic Church social hall, 1052 Pleasant St.

  • Worcester Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2 Airport Drive

  • Order of Ahepa Lodge, 68 Cedar St.

  • Murray Avenue Apartments community room, 50 Murray Ave.

  • Elm Park Tower community room, 425 Pleasant St.

  • Department of Inspectional Services, 25 Meade St.

  • YMCA, 766 Main St.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Voters will choose 2 candidates in each of 5 municipal races Tuesday