2011 Municipal, School Races Take Shape

Twenty-two Candidates Return Signed Nomination Papers

– Allison Goldsberry

Twenty-two candidates, including at least one familiar face, have submitted signed nomination papers as of the 5:00PM deadline on Tuesday, July 26.

Ten candidates are vying for a spot on the seven-seat City Council, including each of the incumbents: Paul Camuso, Robert Maiocco, Frederick Dello Russo, Jr., Mark Arena, Michael Marks, Breanna Lungo-Koehn, and Robert Penta. Three new candidates are also running- Richard Caraviello, Matthew Haberstroh, and Michael DiClemente.

Nine candidates, including all of the incumbents, are looking for a spot on the six member School Committee. The incumbents are Ann Marie Cugno, William O’Keefe, Paulette Van der Kloot, George Scarpelli, John Falco, and Sharon Guzik. They are being challenged by Erin DiBenedetto, Chris Murphy, who also ran in 2009, and Robert E. Skerry, a long-time member of the School Committee who narrowly missed being re-elected in 2009.

Three candidates are formally running for mayor, including current Mayor Michael McGlynn. McGlynn is being challenged by John Byers and Anthony D’Antonio. According to City Clerk Ed Finn, a preliminary election will likely be needed for the mayoral race to narrow the field down to two candidates. It has been well over a decade since the city needed a mayoral preliminary.

There aren’t enough candidates in the other races to necessitate a preliminary election. The preliminary has been scheduled for September 13 while the general election will take place on November 8.