Worcester Election 2023: Forums Probe District Council Candidates

WORCESTER, MA — Voters interested in the candidates vying to represent Worcester's five district city council seats will get a chance to meet them at two upcoming forums.

The first forum, organized by the Worcester Community-Labor Coalition, will take place Wednesday at the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester. The coalition has invited all district council candidates to attend. The forum begins at 6 p.m.

A second forum focusing only on the District 5 council race will take place on Aug. 23 at the IBEW hall, 242 Mill St. Incumbent Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and challengers Edson Montero and Jose Rivera have agreed to attend, organizers said.

Worcester's preliminary election on Sept. 5 will narrow the candidates in district races down to two. The only district council race that won't be on the Sept. 5 ballot is in District 3, where incumbent Councilor George Russell is facing a challenge from Feanna Jattan-Singh.

Here are the candidates running in each district race:

District 1 City Council

• Jenny Pacillo
• Larry Shetler
• David Peterson

District 2 City Council

• Candy Mero-Carlson (i)
• Philip Palmieri
• Robert Bilotta

District 3 City Council

• George Russell (i)
• Feanna Jattan-Singh

District 4 City Council

• Katia Norford
• Theodore Kostas
• Maureen Schwab
• Maria Montano
• Luis Ojeda

District 5 City Council

• Etel Haxhiaj (i)
• Edson Montero
• Jose Rivera

Looking for Worcester 2023 election coverage? Check out the Worcester Patch election topic page.