LAWRENCE — Not to be overshadowed by what is set to be a storied mayoral race for the city, the seven races for City Council are starting to heat up.
In all, there are 24 candidates running for the nine seats on the council in the Sept. 22 primary.
And with city councilors Patrick Blanchette, Dave Abdoo and Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez all running for mayor, there's a guarantee that the council will see at least three new faces come January.
There are plenty of recognizable names among the council candidates — everyone from former city councilors to community activists and campaign workers.
"For City Council, it's normal there's a lot of candidates. But it will be interesting," said Rafael Tejeda, Lawrence's bilingual election coordinator. "There are a lot of people running that people know well. There's a lot of name recognition."
Even the lesser known names will be a force to be reckoned with, he said.
"They're all out knocking on doors," Tejeda said. "They're working hard, really focusing on this election."
The races are as follows:
* In the Councilor-at-large race, incumbents Frank Moran and Roger Twomey are taking on former District F City Councilor Marie Gosselin, former License Commissioner Nestor DeJesus and newcomers Gary Ryan, Howard Tejeda and Daniel Rivera, the one-time economic development coordinator for former Congressman Marty Meehan. Six will go on to the Nov. 3 election, where three will win seats.
* The City Council District A race is full of newcomers, with Patrick Blanchette having thrown his hat in the mayor's race. Sandy Almonte, Joseph Armano and Martha Leavitt will battle it out, with the top two moving on to the final.
* In the City Council District B race, incumbent Grisel Silva faces off against three opponents. Both Gary Mannion Jr. and Ruth Rojas ran for the seat two years ago. This will be Rev. Edwin Rodriguez's first run for the seat Silva has held on to for two terms. Again, the top two will move on.
* In the City Council District C race, incumbent Jorge Gonzalez will square off against Modesto Maldonado. Both men are well-known in the community, Tejeda said, making for a good race. Regardless of the result on Sept. 22, they will both move on to the final election.
* Incumbent Nicholas Kolofoles will have to beat zoning board member Daniel Clark and political newcomer Oneida Aquino to keep his District D City Council seat. The top two finishers will go on to the final election.
* City Council District E is up for grabs as well, with Dave Abdoo running for mayor. On the ballot are two men who ran for the seat last time around — Matthew Brien and Daniel Rooney — as well as newcomer Eileen O'Connor Bernal. Again, the top two move on.
* In City Council District F, incumbent Michael Fielding is facing off against former City Councilor Marc LaPlante. Both will go on to the final election.
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