A filing flurry
As the day before the Manchester election filing period came to an end, more candidates came to file. Among them were Alderman at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur. Levasseur being the fifth candidate to file, there will be a primary for those seats in September.
Other races that will see a primary as a result of filings in the last two days are:
- Welfare Commissioner. Joseph McKinley Leonard filed today.
- Ward 6 School Board. Larraine Lencki and former school board member Dan Bergeron filed their candidacies.
Several races that picked up contestants over the past two days include:
- School Board at-Large. Former Alderman at-Large, mayor’s aide and mayoral candidate Richard H. Girard filed his papers yesterday.
- Ward 1 School Board. Timothy Sawyer will challenge incumbent Sarah Ambrogi.
- Ward 2 School Board. Sarah Browning filed for a rematch against incumbent Debra Gagnon Langton.
- Ward 4 Alderman. Charles Guercio entered the race. Incumbent Alderman Jim Roy is expected to file for reelection tomorrow, which will create a primary in that race.
- Ward 4 School Board. Citizens for Manchester Schools activist Leslie Want registered her candidacy in a race where three others had filed. Want’s entry into the race all but confirms speculation that incumbent Amy Bradley will not seek reelection.
- Ward 8 School Board. Local music star Jimmy Lehoux will challenge incumbent Erika Connors. Connors angered many parents at the Jewett Street School, including Lehoux, in proposing the consolidation of the elementary school’s population with Southside Middle School. Lehoux has actively followed school issues and participated in several forums since.
- Ward 11 Alderman. Former Alderman Russ Ouellette will attempt to win back the seat he resigned three years ago. He will challenge incumbent Normand Gamache.
- Ward 12 School Board. Christine Duffley filed to challenge incumbent Connie Van Houten. Van Houten edged Duffley last time out. Former School Board Member Roger Beauchamp announced he would file for the seat he vacated to run for alderman in 2013, however, he has yet to do so.
Despite this small flurry of filings over the past two days, several offices remain without candidates and several more remain “Soviet Ballots,” meaning they are uncontested.
The filing period closes with the close of business at City Hall tomorrow at 5:00 PM.
Click here for the up to date list of filings
Click here for instructions on filing.
