Contested City Council and School Committee races on Tuesday’s ballot

  There will be at least two new members on the City Council following Tuesday’s municipal election, as a healthy slate of contested races highlight the ballot. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the city on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

  Two incumbent city councillors are not on the ballot this year, as Councillor-at-Large Jessica Ann Giannino decided not to run in order to focus on her role as state representative for parts of Revere, Chelsea and Saugus. In Ward 3, longtime Councillor Arthur Guinasso made the decision not to run for reelection.

  In the at-large race, there’s one more candidate than available seats on the council. Current incumbents Steven Morabito, George Rotondo, Gerry Visconti and current Council President Anthony Zambuto are joined on the ballot by former Mayor Dan Rizzo and current Veterans Services Director Marc Silvestri.

  In addition to serving on the council, Morabito is the former manager of the Johnny’s Foodmaster on Squire Road and is also currently a realtor. He said that position as a supermarket manager helped him to connect and listen to people in the city. Morabito said the city is well positioned economically, and he pointed to several projects he has supported, including the Suffolk Downs development and the building of a new high school. “As a city leader, it is my top priority to see our children succeed, because they are the future,” said Morabito.

  Rotondo, a nurse, said he has been in city government for 10 years and that his focus is solely on the residents of Revere. “One of the things that I find most important in government is serving the people, so whether it is getting called to somebody’s house at literally one o’clock in the morning because there is an issue that needs to be resolved, or helping people who have just lost their house because of a fire, that is part of the job of being a Revere City Councillor,” said Rotondo. “The other part is informing you what is going on in government.”

  Visconti, a former School Committee member, said one of his goals is to focus on the positive in the community and overcome divisiveness. “Together, we will continue our growth, but doing so in a manner that maintains the fabric of our community,” said Visconti. “I have no doubt that Revere will remain a desirable city to call home, raise a family in, and own and operate a business in.”

  Zambuto cited his willingness to tell it like it is, and the accomplishments during his time on the council, in his bid for reelection. “We now have one of the most state-of-the-art police headquarters in the Commonwealth,” Zambuto said. “Our enhanced regional 911 central dispatch makes us all safer. As chairman of the economic development committee, I helped bring Market Basket to the city of Revere.”

  Rizzo said Revere needs leaders in local government who put neighborhoods before developers and people before politics. “Major decisions will have to be made relative to the cost of the construction of a new high school, a centralized, city-wide middle school, and the construction of a new regional vocational school, all of which could cost upwards of one half a billion dollars,” said Rizzo. “I have made these types of decisions before.”

  Silvestri is a decorated veteran of the war in Afghanistan and current Veterans Services director. “I believe now is the time to elect a fresh face with new ideas, no political office is meant to be forever,” said Silvestri. “That is why I promise to propose term limits on day one. My military service and working with the veterans of Revere have been two of the greatest honors of my life, and that is why, if elected, I will forgo any pay that comes along with my seat.”

  In Ward 3, the race to replace Guinasso is between two well-known local businessmen: Anthony Saverio Cogliandro and Albert Terminiello, Jr.

  “I am running for Ward 3 City Councillor because we deserve a government that represents all of us,” said Cogliandro. “I am running to ensure the present and future members of our community feel included, welcomed, and respected by bridging the generational and cultural gaps that exist here today.”

  Terminiello said he has served the community for over 50 years and is the cofounder and cochair of the Revere Veterans Committee, which has raised thousands of dollars for scholarships for Revere students, the senior center and other causes in the city. “I know Revere, I love Revere, and I know what is needed in Ward 3,” he said. “When elected, I will address those projects and I reassure you I will do what I promise you I will do. I will represent Ward 3 with integrity, honesty, and transparency.”

  There are two other contested races in Wards 2 and 5, where incumbent councillors are facing a challenge.

  In Ward 2, incumbent Councillor Ira Novoselsky is running against Manuel Carrero, Jr. “I know how Ward 2 and its unique neighborhoods need to be represented on the council, in the city, and in state government,” said Novoselsky. “I understand the needs, goals, and priorities of the residents of Ward 2. Over the past 20 years, while I have been ward councillor, many streets have been repaved; many sidewalks have been replaced with handicap ramps. Over the next few years, many more streets and sidewalks are scheduled to be completed.”

  Carrero pointed to Ward 2 as one of the most diverse in the city and also one facing the greatest number of changes. “For many residents, the delicate balance of the neighborhood is being disrupted by status quo thinking and complacency,” said Carrero. “Struggling against rising costs of living, inadequate city services, and a lack of zealous, principled representation from elected officials, the very residents that built up our proud neighborhood are facing pressure to leave.” Carrero said he grew up in Ward 2, and as a councillor, will make sure change works for everyone in the ward.

  In Ward 5, incumbent Councillor John Powers and former City Council President Albert Fiore have faced off in what is perhaps the most contentious contest on the ballot.

  Powers noted that much of the traffic plaguing Revere and Ward 5 is due to development in neighboring communities. To help ease the traffic from that development, Powers said, he has been a proponent of bringing a commuter rail station to Wonderland. Powers also pointed to the drainage projects he has championed over the years that have helped address flooding issues in the ward. In addition, he noted that the city recently purchased the Riverside boatyard for recreational purposes. “The city will never again be threatened with a 74 unit development as they were a year or so ago,” said Powers. “That property will now be part of Gibson Park in use for community boating, high school boating, and possibly crew rowing programs.”

  Fiore, who said he stepped down from his at-large council seat nearly two decades ago, said he had no intention of running for council again. “But now I’ve seen and had enough,” said Fiore. “I’ve had enough of the out-of-town developers running our city. Special permits and variances are being handed out like sticks of bubble gum to political insiders and campaign donors. I’ve had enough tickets on our cars, and fines for leaving our trash barrels open two inches; it’s time to stop balancing bloated budgets on the taxpayers’ backs in 25 dollar increments at a time.”

  Running unopposed for City Council this year are Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna, Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe and Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino.

  Also on the ballot are nine candidates for six school committee seats. Five incumbents are running for reelection: Stacey Bronsdon-Rizzo, Michael Ferrante, Susan Gravellese, Frederick Sannella and Carol Tye. The other four candidates on the ballot are Vanessa Biasella, Jacqueline Chavez, John Kingston and Aisha Milbury-Ellis.

  Residents can check their polling locations at revere.org/departments/election-commission/where-do-i-vote.