WORCESTER – The Worcester City Council will see two new faces sitting in council seats next year.
Worcester voters hit the polls Tuesday, voting to keep At-Large Councilors Joe Petty, Kate Toomey, Morris Bergman, Khrystian King, Thu Nguyen and Donna Colorio.
The new district councilors include Jenny Pacillo and Luis Albizu Ojeda, while Candy Mero-Carlson, George Russell and Etel Hexhiaj kept their district seats.
The top six vote-getters in the councilor-at-large race make it onto the council, with Joseph Petty, Kate Toomey, Khrystian King, Donna Colorio, Morris Bergman and Thu Ngyen earning those top spots. Councilor-at-large candidates Guillermo Creamer Jr., Domenica Perrone, Maydee Morales, Bill Coleman and Johanna Hampton-Dance did not earn enough votes for a council seat.
With no incumbent councilor, current Councilor Sean Rose announced he wouldn’t be running for election, District 1 is getting new leadership. Jenny Pacillo, a stay-at-home mom and editor of Pulse Magazine, was able to edge out her opponent Dave Peterson, general manager of the Worcester Bravehearts, claiming just over 61 percent of the votes with 3,807 to his 2,428.
District 2 is keeping familiar leadership with incumbent Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson securing the seat with 1,553 votes compared to challenger Robert Bilotta’s 1,389.
Mero-Carlson, who works as a labor relations executive for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, first won the seat in 2015.
In District 3, George Russell was able to win a seventh-term in the seat with 2,469 votes compared to challenger Feanna Jattan-Singh’s 817 votes.
Russell is a licensed real estate broker and Jattan-Singh in the same field as a real estate agent with Cameron Prestige.
District 4 will also have a new councilor, with incumbent Sarai Rivera not running for reelection. Newcomer Luis Albizu Ojeda was able to narrowly beat out fellow newcomer Katia Gisela Norford with 916 votes to her 865.
Luis Albizu Ojeda works as an educator in Worcester Public Schools and Norford co-owns Carlito’s Barbershop with her husband. Both have lived in District 4 for decades.
In the race for District 5, incumbent Etel Haxhiaj, a senior policy manager for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, edged out Jose Antonio Rivera, a former world champion boxer, with 3,225 votes to his 3,057 votes.
Voter totals, city council
At-Large
- Joseph M. Petty—11,144, 13.21 percent of the vote
- Kate Toomey—10,252, 12.15 percent of the vote
- Khrystian E. King—10,069, 11.94 percent of the vote
- Donna M. Colorio—8,746, 10.37 percent of the vote
- Morris A. Bergman—8,649, 10.25 percent of the vote
- Thu Nguyen—7,760, 9.20 percent of the vote
- Guillermo Creamer, Jr.—6,164, 7.31 percent of the vote
- Domenica F. Perrone—6,132, 7.27 percent of the vote
- Maydee Morales—6,017, 7.13 percent of the vote
- Bill Coleman—5,018, 5.95 percent of the vote
- Johanna Hampton-Dance—4,394, 5.21 percent of the vote
District 1
- Jenny Pacillo—3,807, 61.06 percent of the vote
- David C. Peterson—2,428, 38.94 percent of the vote
District 2
- Candy F. Mero-Carlson—1,553, 52.79 percent of the vote
- Roberta A. Bilotta—1,389, 47.21 percent of the vote
District 3
- George J. Russell—2,469, 75.14 percent of the vote
- Feanna Jattan-Singh—817, 24.86 percent of the vote
District 4
- Luis Albizu Ojeda—916, 52.31 percent of the vote
- Katia Gisela Norford—835, 47.69 percent of the vote
District 5
- Etel Haxhiaj—3,225, 51.34 percent of the vote
- Jose Antonio Rivera—3,057, 48.66 percent of the vote
