ELECTIONS 2023
Complete local coverage of Worcester Mayoral, City Council, and School Committee races at radioworcester.com.
Mayor
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PETTY
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KING
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Colorio
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Coleman
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Creamer
City Council
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PETTY
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NGUYEN
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HAMPTON-DANCE
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TOOMEY
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CREAMER
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KING
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PERRONE
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COLORIO
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MORALES
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BERGMAN
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COLEMAN
DISTRICT 1
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PACILLO
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PETERSON
DISTRICT 2
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MERO-CARLSON
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BILOTTA
DISTRICT 3
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RUSSELL
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JATTAN-SINGH
DISTRICT 4
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OJEDA
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NORFORD
DISTRICT 5
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HAXHIAJ
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RIVERA
SCHOOL COMMITEE AT LARGE
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BINIENDA
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COGHLIN-MAILMAN
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O'CONNELL NOVICK
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CLANCEY
SCHOOL COMMITEE DISTRICT
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(A) MCCULLOUGH
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(E) ROY
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(B) ALVAREZ
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(E) MEDINA
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(C) BIANCHERIA
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(F) JOHNSON
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(C) KAMARA
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(D) GUARDIOLA
State Rep. Peter Durant Flips Seat from Democrat to Republican in Special Senate Race
Photo- Mass Live
State Rep. Peter Durant wins election in the special State Senate race. The Republican was able to pull off the rare feat of flipping a seat from Democrat control. Durant tells Talk of the Commonwealth reports of the death of the Republican party in Massachusetts are greatly exaggerated. He points to two key issues that resonated with voters -his opposition to a recently passed gun control bill, which he says is out of step with sportsmen of his new district and his focus on the migrant crisis. Durant has been sounding the alarm about the strain put on the emergency system for months and has called for the repeal of the Massachusetts Right to Shelter law. He credited new leadership at the state level for the Republican party as being instrumental in his victory. Durant did very well in the many small towns in the district but also kept the vote very close to his opponent State Rep. Jon Zlotnik of Gardner in Zlotnik’s home city as well as Worcester.
Khrystian King Talks with Radio Worcester About Unsuccessful Bid for Mayor, Appointment as Vice-Chair
Photo-Mass Live
City Councilor Khrystian King was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat incumbent Mayor Joseph Petty. He stopped by Radio Worcester to talk about the positives. King feels his campaign helped drive the conversation on important issues such as affordable housing. Over the next couple of years he hopes to focus on housing and helping small and mid-size businesses. King will serve as vice-chair of the Worcester City Council. King says in this particular election the people have spoken but he does not feel that Mayor Petty and others have been able to navigate around a diverse elected official population of folks who have a different lived experience. He says you cannot label that as divisive. He hopes that different voices, particularly, on the School Committee, will not be marginalized. He believes all those elected have the best interest of the city at heart. The conversation is how you get there.
Mayor Joe Petty Re-Elected to Seventh Term as Worcester’s Mayor
Photo – Worcester Telegram
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty wins 7th term, getting just under 50% of the vote in a five person race. Petty outdistanced his nearest challenger, City Councilor Khrystian King by a wide margin, King will serve as vice-chair on the upcoming council. Petty says the voters have spoken and the message is to keep things going in the same direction. He says he will work with everyone on the city council and school committee and be co-operative inside and outside the chamber. He feels that the attacks over the last year on social media need to stop. He said all the candidates for Mayor ran good races and it makes for a better city. Stopping by Radio Worcester, Petty said affordable housing remains a key issue and that funding is on the way to build new housing.
Historic Election Day Set to Take Place in Worcester, Massachusetts
A truly historic election in the city of Worcester. Niko Vangjeli – City Clerk – City of Worcester said this Election Day is the largest operation he has run and he thinks the largest in at least the last 40 years. Sixty-six election precincts will be operational. The split districts, as the new school committee districts will be in effect, and a special state primary in some districts will add to election day challenges.. . Vangjeli said he looks for turnout to be 18-20% or more.
City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson Reflects on District 2 Development
Incumbent District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson talks about her time in office and her work in investing in parks. She talks about some of the new parks and how the parks are about our families and how she would hear from people about the shape of our parks and that now the investment has been made. She points to Coal Mine Brook Park as a great example of a parcel of land that has now been reclaimed for people to be able to use. She talks about the need for all the housing that is being built in the city and the affordable housing that is being built. She points to the fact that District 2 has 85% of the businesses in the city. She says we have to continue to work with our businesses and that areas with residential and businesses can be challenging and you have to work with everyone to make sure everybody benefits. She says one issue she hears about all the time and continues to work on is sidewalks and speeding in the city. She says speeding is out of control and we really need to stay on that issue.
Worcester Mayoral Race Heats Up with a Week to Go
Less than a week to go before the election and things are really heating up, Hear candidate Khrystian King on divisiveness, Joe Petty and the influence of PAC money. Joe Petty on the future of the city and why he wants two more years. Guillermo Creamer on who the real voice of change is in this election and why he feels he’s earned your vote, if not for Mayor, then for City Council. Contrast and Compare and Vote on Nov. 7th.
Radio Worcester Hosts Mayoral Race Special with Incumbent Mayor Joe Petty, Councilor Khrystian King and Guillermo Creamer
On this edition of the Mayoral Power Hour incumbent Mayor Joe Petty, challengers Councilor Khrystian King and Guillermo Creamer talk about their past accomplishments and what they see for the future of Worcester. Contrast and compare and vote on Nov. 7th.
Worcester Mayoral Candidates Discuss Crisis Pregnancy Center and Plan E Government Ahead of Election
Khrystian King, Joe Petty, Guillermo Creamer all stopped by the diner and talked about the City Council vote on ordinances on Crisis Pregnancy Center advertising. The 7-4 vote stopped the ordinances from moving forward. The candidates for Mayor also talked about their feelings on the Plan E form of government. Election day is November 7th. Compare and contrast the candidates on the issues.
Maureen Binienda Runs for Worcester School Committee, Vows to Increase Safety and Accountability
Image-Telegram and Gazette
Forty-six years as an educator in Worcester Public Schools, including 6 as Superintendent, Maureen Binienda, is running for Worcester School Committee. She says school safety is of paramount importance and she did not agree with the decision to remove School Resource Officers. Binienda also said whether it is MCAS or not some type of statewide standardized test is needed. She is for budget accountability and increasing partnerships.
Worcester Mayoral Candidates Discuss Baseball Commission on Mayoral Power Hour
The candidates for Worcester Mayor with differences on the Baseball Commission. Worcester Mayor Joe Petty called a special city council meeting as the clock was ticking on the citizen Baseball Commission helping with oversight of Polar Park. In an up or down vote the council voted 8-1 to keep the commission. The no vote was cast by Mayoral candidate, City Councilor Khrystian King, you can hear his reasons in our conversation. Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, running for re-election tells us why he felt it was important to keep the commission, even against the recommendation of the City Manager. Candidate Guillermo Creamer says he thinks part of the frustration people have with the council is how relatively simple votes like this one can take up weeks of the council’s time and take away from other matters. We’ve included District Councilor George Russell’s views.. Although not a candidate for Mayor his committee did a lot of work on this issue and he provides context as well as the observation that a minority of councilors tried to run the clock out on this issue so that the commission would have been dissolved against the wish of the majority.
Maydee Morales Vows to Make Social Justice a Priority in Run for Worcester City Council At Large
Maydee Morales is running for Worcester City Council At Large. She calls into the Talk of the Commonwealth to discuss her vision for the city of Worcester. The conversation begins with an emphasis on social justice and what it means and why it is such a large part of her campaign. Other issues touched on include the Worcester Police Department and public safety, getting people to slow down on the roads and food security. That Worcester has food deserts that is unacceptable and must change. Morales also talks about homelessness and the need to create more affordable housing. Vote November 7th!
Domenica Perrone Wants to Create Opportunities for Worcester City Council At-Large
Domenica Perrone is a public health advocate who is running for Worcester City Council At-Large and wants to make sure we are looking at municipal government through an equity lens. As a public health worker she is very interested in providing opportunities for early education and care. She is a proud “progressive” candidate who wants to get more people involved in municipal government through voting and getting more young and Latina candidates to run. By knocking on doors and talking to residents she believes common ground can be found to move the city forward. She is a believer in “strong mayor” form of government. She wants a vote on the city budget and to have a say in changing the culture at City Hall through more transparency.
Candidates for Worcester Mayor Discuss Green Energy Plan
Incumbent Mayor Joe Petty and challengers Guillermo Creamer, City Councilor Khrystian King and City Councilor Donna Colorio answer questions about the specialized stretch energy code, what it means for Worcester, when it will be adopted and how it fits into Worcester’s Green Energy Plan and hear differences the candidates may have on this and other issues. Each week until the election Radio Worcester is dedicating an hour of its broadcast week to the candidates for Worcester Mayor, asking them roughly the same questions so that you can compare and contrast where they stand on the issues. We also talk about the loss of the Heart to Hub service, accessory dwelling units, sidewalk parking and more.
Mayoral Candidates Discuss Major Issues Facing Worcester
Incumbent Mayor Joe Petty and challengers, City Councilor Donna Colorio and Guillermo Creamer talk about Crisis Pregnancy Centers, the CVS closing in downtown, transparency in the Worcester Police Department and more.
Guillermo Creamer Running for Worcester Mayor Despite Opposition
Guillermo Creamer is running for Mayor. Now that seems to bother some people who are telling him to drop out but Creamer says he is bringing something different to the table. He says when turnout is only 16% he says their are votes for everyone to come around and that no one is entitled to a seat and everyone earns every vote they get. Creamer does promise that if elected he will push for charter review and is for a strong Mayor form of government. He also wants to continue to work on issues of equity. Creamer says he wants the Worcester Renaissance to be for everyone not just for a select few. Housing, homelessness, roads, public safety, hear where Guillermo Creamer stands on the issues.
Incumbent District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson Discusses Her 8 Years of Accomplishments in Radio Worcester Interview
Incumbent District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson stopped into the Radio Worcester studio to talk about her vision for the future and the accomplishments of the past 8 years. District 2 in Worcester has seen tremendous economic development, including Polar Park and the Worcester Public Market, during Candy Mero-Carlson’s term of office. She talks about the new housing that is coming to Shrewsbury St. and about her emphasis on parks and playgrounds. She tells us about the hard work it took to get upgrades to Grant Square Park. Learn more at candymerocarlson.com
District 1 Debate-Jenny Pacillo, Dave Peterson, and Larry Shelter
District 1 is an open seat for Worcester City Council and the three candidates met in Debate with just a week to go before the preliminary election. There are clear difference between the three candidates. Jenny Pacillo, Dave Peterson, and Larry Shelter talked about speeding, roads, safety, housing, development and more. In front of a large crowd the three differed from each other on the issues but were friendly and cordial in answering the panel’s questions and questions from each other. One thing they all thought would be cool, is if the Saint Gobain property acquired by the WBDC attracted a movie studio to the city.
District 5 Debate-Etel Haxhiaj, Jose Rivera, Edson Montero
District 5 Debate
Incumbent Etel Haxhiaj, Jose Rivera, Edson Montero
Panel – Gary Rosen, Hank Stolz, Kiernan Dunlop (MassLive)
Worcester Police, homeless crisis, affordable housing, Mill St., Former Big-D site, aggressive campaign backers, and much more. The format allowed the candidates to ask each other questions for the final half-hour and the sparks flew.
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