More candidates announce for Charlestown offices
By Will Collette
The final declarations were filed at Town Hall at close of
business on Wednesday, producing some surprises. Click
here for yesterday’s article on the Democratic slate.
Town Council incumbent Lisa DiBello declared her bid for
re-election….as a Democrat. That makes her the fifth Democrat running for
Council in November.
Charlestown Citizens Alliance stalwart Councilor Dan
Slattery is not running for re-election. Neither are CCA Party Planning
Commissioners Peter Herstein and Kathryn O’Connor.
CCA Party Treasurer Leo
Mainelli has filed a declaration showing his intention to challenge
Democrat Henry Walsh for the position of Town Moderator.
CCA Party appointees to the Chariho School Committee Ron
Areglado and Donna
Chambers filed the paperwork to run for the seats they hold. Chariho Committee
incumbent Craig Luzon is also running for re-election. Stephen Young is running
for Chariho School Committee as the only declared Republican running in
Charlestown for any local office.
Town Council Boss Tom Gentz and Councilor George Tremblay
are the two CCA incumbents seeking re-election. In addition, Virginia Lee,
Bonita Van Slyke and Denise Rhodes have filed for Council listing their
affiliation as independent.
CCA Party Planning Commission incumbents Gordon Foer and
Connie Baker have filed for re-election. New candidates for Planning are
Frances Topping, Barbara Heavers and Mark Alexander.
The CCA Party has not yet announced its slate, so we’ll see
which of these new candidates for Council and Planning are part of their slate.
Incumbent state Representative Donna Walsh (D-36) will face
an independent challenger, Blake
Anthony Filippi, a lawyer with a practice in Lincoln who has represented
militia-style groups.
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| Tina Jackson - outta here? |
Donna’s 2012 opponent Tina
Jackson (R) did not file this time, even though Jackson kept her campaign
committee active and has been accruing daily fines for failure to comply with
campaign disclosure laws.
Could be Jackson doesn't live in Charlestown anymore since her house was sold at a tax auction by the Charlestown Fire District after she failed to pay her taxes for a long time.
Incumbent state Senator Cathie Cool Rumsey (D) faces two
opponents in November – Hopkinton Town Sergeant Elaine Morgan (R) and recent
Ohio college student Cameron Ennis of Charlestown who filed to run as an
independent.
In other election news, DINO Ernie Almonte, candidate for General Treaurer, changed his mind
once again in his Candidacy Declaration filing. Former State Auditor Almonte
started out in 2012 as a declared Democratic candidate for Governor. Then he
switched to running as a Democrat for General Treasurer. But after getting
smoked at the State Convention, gaining virtually no endorsements – and after
the release of some embarrassing
video – Almonte is now running for General Treasurer as an independent.
He had been courted by the Republicans who have no one
running in that race. State GOP chair Mark Smiley
told Ted Nesi at Channel 12: “We think
that he really should have been a Republican all along.”
On that point, and that
point only, I heartily agree with Smiley.
This is the official
beginning of Election 2014 and there will be lots more to come.