Fiore resigns from City Council, cites medical issues

Special election called for Ward 5

  Ward 5 City Councillor Al Fiore has resigned from the City Council because of health concerns. Fiore’s resignation sets up a midsummer special election for the remainder of his term.

  “Due to my ongoing medical issues, I cannot efficiently represent the residents of Ward 5,” stated Fiore in a letter read at Monday night’s City Council meeting. “Therefore, effective today, I am resigning from the office of Ward 5 City Councilor. I would like to thank the residents of Ward 5 for the opportunity to serve and I wish everyone well.”

  Fiore ran an impressive campaign in 2021 to return to the City Council after nearly two decades away, defeating longtime Ward 5 Councillor John Powers.

  Fiore is a former Council President, who was first elected at the age of 22 and then stepped down at 31 to raise his family before running again for the Ward 5 seat in 2021.

  Several councillors wished Fiore well on Monday night. “It’s unfortunate that the councillor has given his resignation, but he has to do what is best for him and his family, and I wish him nothing but wellness and health in the future,” said Councillor-at-Large Steve Morabito.

  Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo said he has been friends with Fiore for nearly three decades. “He brought a lot to this council in terms of knowledge and understanding, but his health is paramount, and he is doing what is right for him,” said Rizzo. “If we are going to serve the residents well, then we have to be in the right frame of mind and in the right health to work effectively, so I think he is making the right decision, and I just want to offer him my best and continued support for whatever he needs.”

  Immediately following the reading of Fiore’s resignation letter, the council approved holding a special election to fill his seat for the remainder of his term.

  While the council recently approved redistricting and re-precincting for the city following the 2020 US Census, the special election will be held with the precincts and ward boundary lines under which Fiore was elected last year.

  “Because this seat was filled with what we would call the old, or current, ward, those are the lines that will govern this election,” said Election Commissioner Paul Fahey. “The precincts in the fall for the state election will be with the new precincts, but for this election we are going to have to use the old precincts. There are five precincts (in Ward 5), two subprecints and three main precincts, and those voting locations will remain the same for this one election.”

  Fahey said nomination papers will likely be available next week, and the election is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 19. There will be no preliminary election, and the winner will be the top vote getter of all the candidates who qualify.