Competition for the corner office in Haverhill City Hall is making a September preliminary election seem likely.
The first day local election nomination papers became available saw two newcomers take out papers for mayor and also present surprise challengers for City Council and School Committee seats. Hector Montalvo, 170 Washington St., and Melanie Tamberino, 7 Mount Dustin Ave., took nomination papers Wednesday from the Haverhill City Clerk’s office. Assuming the two obtain enough signatures and Mayor James J. Fiorentini and recently announced contender Daniel Trocki also run, a preliminary election would take place Tuesday, Sept. 10, to narrow the field to two. Fiorentini has served eight terms and Trocki is a Haverhill Police officer.
Tamberino has worked three years at Community Action’s Family and Community Connection. She told WHAV more money for schools is one of her top priorities.
“I literally just woke up one day last week and decided to run for this, work hard and do what’s right for the city,” she said. She bought her Haverhill home in July and previously lived in North Andover 17 years after growing up in Danvers.
Possibly shaking up the City Council race is Mark’s Deli owner Stavros Dimakis, 123 Freeman St. Dimakis has expressed concerns about parking if a retail marijuana store is allowed to open near his restaurant.
Others to take out papers for council were Nicholas Golden, 40 Locke St., and former City Councilor Kenneth E. Quimby, 48 Goodale St. Both have long made their candidacies known. Fred Simmons, 420 Amesbury Road, who has previously sought election, also took out nomination papers.
For School Committee, economist Thomas Granneman, 51 Leroy Ave., was the first in that race to take out papers. He has long advocated for increased school spending, criticizing elected officials at different forums for, what he calls, “the culture of scarcity that’s been the predominant mode of thinking in many discussions in Haverhill.”
The only incumbent to take out papers on the first day was School Committee member Gail M. Sullivan.