List of Candidates is Now Final: Four City Councilors Will Run Unopposed
By Ellen Putnam
The deadlines for being included on the ballot passed earlier this week, and we now know who will be running for each position in November’s municipal election.
Three City Council ward races will be contested - Ward 3, Ward 4, and Ward 7. We covered the Ward 7 race, between incumbent Devin Romanul and challenger Alex Rodriguez, here. Our profiles of the Ward 3 candidates - incumbent Robb Stewart and challenger Christopher Park - will run next week.
Ward 4 received an unexpected shakeup at the end of last month, when three-term Ward 4 City Councilor Mark Garipay announced that he would not be running for re-election. In response, City Councilor At Large Ward Hamilton shifted to the Ward 4 race, where he was joined by two additional candidates: Philip Gindi and Brad Freeman.
Five candidates are running for four positions as City Councilor At Large: incumbents Ryan Williams and Maya Jamaleddine and newcomers Jason Chen, Dionysios Kaskarelis, and Elizabeth Kowal. Current City Councilor At Large Leila Migliorelli announced last month that she would not be running for re-election.
Map of Melrose’s seven wards
And four candidates are running for three positions on the School Committee: incumbent Jennifer Razi-Thomas and newcomers Sheri Leo, Melissa Holleran, and Camarie Clark.
Current School Committee member Dorie Withey had obtained nomination papers earlier in the summer, but recently withdrew her candidacy. “It was an incredibly difficult decision to make,” she shared. “I recently accepted a new professional opportunity and the demands of the new role will prevent me from continuing to serve in the capacity our schools deserve. While I am excited about this next chapter, stepping away from the Committee is not easy. Though I will no longer serve in an official capacity, I will remain a committed advocate for public education and the success of our schools.”
In Ward 2, former City Councilor Jeff McNaught had also pulled papers for candidacy earlier in the race but recently withdrew due to personal and family reasons. This leaves current Ward 2 City Councilor John Obremski running unopposed.
Three other current City Councilors are running unopposed for their ward seats: Manjula Karamcheti for Ward 1, Kim Vandiver for Ward 5, and Cal Finocchiaro for Ward 6. We spoke with these three councilors about why they are running for re-election, and what they hope to accomplish in the next two years. (We do plan to speak to Obremski soon, too - we haven’t forgotten him!) You can find our profiles of Karamcheti, Vandiver, and Finocchiaro below.
Manjula Karamcheti
Manjula Karamcheti is running for a third term as Ward 1’s city councilor because, she said, “I want to make sure the residents of Ward 1 are represented and their voices are heard.”
“A lot of my work has been guided by the goal of equity and access for students and families,” Karamcheti said. “This has led me to do a lot of advocacy work, and a lot of coalition-building.”
Read Our Profile Here
Kim Vandiver
Kim Vandiver is running for a second term as Ward 5’s representative on the City Council because, she said, “I want to continue what I’ve been doing: providing detailed oversight; pushing for specific improvements where there are opportunities to do so; connecting Ward 5 residents to information and resources; and satisfying my own curiosity about how everything in city government works and fits together.”
Read Our Profile Here
Cal Finocchiaro
Cal Finocchiaro is running for a second term as Ward 6’s representative on the City Council “because I like helping people,” she said. “As ward councilor, I’m able to be the contact person for issues - I’m able to help make changes and help people with problems that come up.”
“I grew up here,” Finocchiaro reflected, “and so I love being able to give back and make some decisions about where the city’s going.”