Middletown Candidates to Bypass September Primary for Final Showdown in November

In some ways, Middletown's local election season just got shorter.

With September's Primary ballot featuring only state contests this year in Middletown, the fate of the Town Council will be decided entirely at the General Election in November, because the numbers in this year's field of candidates doesn't warrant a Democrat or Republican primary, according to Town Clerk and Canvassing Clerk Wendy J.W. Marshall, who officially certified the candidates' nomination papers Wednesday. By Town Charter, the council's seven partisan at-large seats are elected every two years, but unless eight Democrat or eight Republicans vie for those seven spots, a primary isn't needed to narrow voters' choices.

As for the three seats on the non-partisan School Committee up for re-election this year, so far each incumbent is running unopposed, so unless a write-in candidate emerges over the next few months, current committee members Michael F. Crowley Jr., Liana Ferreira-Fenton, and Theresa Marie Silveira seem to have their terms secured for another four years.

Of the current Town Council, Republican M. Theresa Santos and Democrat Robert J. Sylvia have decided against seeking new terms, leaving five incumbent members to defend their at-large seats: Independent Barbara A. Vonvillas, and Democrats Christopher T. Semonelli, Richard P. Cambra, Frank A. Bozyan, and Edward J. Silveira Jr.

Given the current make-up of the council and the success of their parties in 2008, it comes as little surprise that this year's 14 contestants are comprised largely of Democrats and Independents, with only three candidates identifying themselves as Republican: Michael J. Nasiff, Cheryl A. Foster, and Antone C. Viveiros. Both Foster and Viveiros pursued council bids in 2008.

Rounding out the challengers are Democrats Richard P. Adams, and Ellrony Williams, who ran for council in 2008, and Independents Leonidas Amarant, Alan G. Kerr, and Arthur S. Weber Jr.

Also to be found among the Independents on this year's ballot is Bruce J. Long, whose previous Republican hold on the 74th district seat of the House of Representatives spanned 28 years and 15 terms before he was ousted by Jamestown Democrat Deb Ruggiero in 2008.

Also Wednesday, canvassers certified the bond question for the November Ballot, in which the Town of Middletown will ask voters to approve the borrowing of $2 million to finance road construction, drainage and sidewalk improvements throughout town.

See the Rhode Island Secretary of State's official list of candidates here.