LAWRENCE — The candidates are on every corner. In some neighborhoods, there are more political signs than trees. You've probably gotten a knock on your door, a flier in the mail and a phone call — or two, or three.
It's down to the wire, and there's an anxious buzz in the air as the city heads into Tuesday's election. There have been plenty of predictions and polls, but nobody knows what will happen for sure until all of the ballots are in at 7 p.m.
No matter what the outcome, Lawrence will be a changed political landscape.
Whether it is state Rep. William Lantigua or City Councilor David Abdoo, the city will have a new mayor for the first time in eight years — and possibly the first Hispanic mayor in the city's history.
With Abdoo, Patrick Blanchette and Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez out of the running, there will also be at least three new city councilors on board. And there's a guarantee of one new School Committee member, with the possibility of more.
Getting elected will be just the beginning of the battle for these candidates.
The new mayor, councilors and committee members will all be faced with daunting challenges from the start: working within budget cuts, finding a new superintendent and uniting the city after what has sometimes been a divisive election season.
Election officials expect a big turnout. Bilingual Elections Coordinator Rafael Tejeda said he is expecting a 40 percent turnout, which is 13,954 of the city's 34,885 registered voters.
Already, the elections office has received 725 absentee applications, which is well up from the 473 ballots in the Sept. 22 primary. In the primary, Tejeda said 371 voters returned absentee ballots.
Mayoral candidates make a final push
The two mayoral candidates are soldiering on, trying to secure a few more votes in the final days before the polls open.
Lantigua hosted a Halloween Party yesterday at the Loft restaurant, and Abdoo is having a multicultural diversity dinner tonight at St. Anthony's Hall.
They both have a reason to keep going.
Lantigua took only 116 more votes than Abdoo in September's primary — a 1.1 percent margin.
It's a race that could go either way depending on who you talk to.
Lantigua has not shown up to any debate or forum since the race for mayor began in the late summer. Abdoo has slammed him for this, saying he thinks he is "above it all."
But Lantigua has said he believes in more of a grass-roots approach.
And despite saying he would work both jobs earlier in the campaign, Lantigua now says he will give up his seat in the Massachusetts House if he is elected.
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 26, Lantigua's campaign raised $36,050 and spent $19,556, according to the most recent report.
Abdoo, in that same time frame, raised $26,885 and spent $25,653.
Council races could be tight
In all, there are 18 candidates running for the nine two-year seats on the council, and many of the races should be close.
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 and Dan Rivera, the one-time economic development coordinator for former Congressman Marty Meehan. There are three at-large seats up for grabs.
If September's primary is any indication, this race will be an interesting one to watch. Moran blew away the competition in the primary, getting over 1,000 more votes than the closest runner-up, Twomey. Rivera surprised many by coming in third, three votes ahead of Gosselin.
With Patrick Blanchette not running for re-election, Sandy Almonte and Joseph Armano will battle it out for the District A council seat. While Almonte took home more votes in the primary, Armano was only 31 votes behind, and both have been gaining momentum on the campaign trail.
In the City Council District B race, community activist Ruth Rojas will try to unseat two-term incumbent Grisel Silva for the third time.
In the City Council District C race, incumbent Jorge Gonzalez will square off against Modesto Maldonado.
Incumbent Nicholas Kolofoles will have to beat political newcomer Oneida Aquino to keep his District D City Council seat. While Kolofoles is well known in the city, Aquino took 41 more votes than Kolofoles in the primary, making this race one to watch this Tuesday.
City Council District E is up for grabs as well, since Abdoo is running for mayor. Newcomer Eileen O'Connor Bernal is up against Matthew Brien. O'Connor Bernal was the top finisher in the primary, with more than 600 more votes than Brien.
In City Council District F, incumbent Michael Fielding is facing off against former City Councilor Marc LaPlante. LaPlante won about 300 more votes than Fielding in the primary.
Several school candidates uncontested
There are 10 candidates vying for six two-year terms on the School Committee.
Samuel Reyes of District D and Martina Cruz of District B face no opponents in their re-election bids for two-year terms. Frank Bonet, the former city personnel director, also is running uncontested in District C.
In District A, James Vittorioso seeks a fourth consecutive term and a fifth overall. He captured 52 percent of the vote in a three-way race during last month's primary. Vittorioso faces runner-up Rafael Gadea, who finished with 29 percent of the vote in the primary.
It's a rematch of two rivals, as Vice School Committee Chairman Gregory Morris faces off against James Stokes for the District F seat. Morris received 274 more votes than Stokes in the primary. Two years ago, Stokes knocked Morris from office, winning by more than 100 votes. But Stokes later resigned after he was arrested by the FBI on charges of impersonating a Marine veteran and lying about receiving a Purple Heart, allowing Morris to reclaim his seat.
Incumbent Peter Larocque faces Mark Gray in the District E race. Larocque won 372 more votes than Gray in the primary. Homayoun Maali, who received 345 votes in the primary, is running as a write-in candidate. Larocque's challengers are attacking his past support of Laboy.
