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Ward 1 Haverhill City Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere is the first to formally announce his campaign for re-election during the city election this year.
Basiliere, who won election as the city’s first Ward 1 councilor in modern times in 2023, plans to kick off his re-election campaign Thursday, April 24, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at Maria’s Restaurant, 81 Essex St., Haverhill. In a statement to WHAV, Basiliere pointed to his record.
“I’m proud of keeping my promise to keep my neighborhood safe. By supporting the recent contract with firefighters, we’ve doubled hose capacity for the first engine at a working fire. By reinstating the Quinn Bill, we’ve improved recruiting and retention of police officers. I’ve worked hard at partnerships with other councilors to keep our neighborhood clean,” he said.
He said he also took a leadership role during, what he called, “a problematic phase of the Primrose Street infrastructure project,” noting, however, “The end result is that it was finished on time and the neighborhood is safer.”
In his second term, he said, he intends to be “a pragmatic voice for a budget that’s fair to the taxpayer while meeting the city’s needs. I’m also working very hard to address winter parking concerns.
In 2023, Basiliere was elected 416 votes to Alexander Robert Veras’ 176 votes. Veras said about a month before the 2023 election that he was “suspending” his campaign for health reasons, but his name remained on the final election ballot.
If a preliminary election is required, it will take place Tuesday, Sept. 9. The final election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
For those considering running in Haverhill’s city election this year may take out nomination papers beginning Monday, May 5, from the Haverhill city clerk’s office.