Who's Running for Worcester City Council At-Large?
Moe Bergman is an attorney and six-term incumbent and self-proclaimed "moderate" who mostly votes with the conservative-leaning majority.
Donna Colorio is a former School Committee member and the lone Republican on the City Council. She chairs the Traffic & Parking committee.
Davis is a "proud, openly trans man", Clark grad, and Main South renter. He works as a project coordinator at Metrowest Care connection.
Jermoh Kamara is a former school committee member. She has a Masters in Public Health and is the founder of HVK Children's Foundation.
Khrystian King is Vice Chair of the city council and five-term incumbent. He works as a social worker and Regional VP of SEIU Local 509's DCF Chapter.
Satya Mitra is a Ph.D. in biochemistry whose life "took a transformative turn" when he pivoted to tax consulting and financial services.
Edson Montero is a immigrant and "proud girl dad and husband". He works as a food services manager at Community Health Link.
Jessica Pepple is an Ed. D in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, and works as the Chief Diversity and Culture officer at RFK Community Alliance, a non-profit.
Joe Petty is the seven-term Mayor of Worcester (and fourteen-term councilor). While liberal in some respects, he increasingly finds himself at-odds with the city's progressives.
Gary Rosen is a retired teacher, local access TV personality, former school committee member, and former city councilor, getting back in the game after a four-year hiatus.
Owura Sarkodieh has a J.D. in Legal and Criminal Justice who wants to see our streets "safe and clean from drugs and crime". He owns Sarkodieh Real Estate and is a Century 21 realtor, working in Auburn.
Kate Toomey has served on the city council for twenty years, and has been texting through meetings for at least two of them. She works for the County Sheriff, both literally and figuratively.
Who's Running for Worcester District Council?
District 1
Tony Economou is a former three-term city councilor and real estate agent, who wants to "bring back common sense", i.e continue business-as-usual, small-town politics.
Keith Linhares is progressive challenger, self-describing as a "hardworking, minivan-driving dad, a first-generation college graduate, and the husband of a dedicated youth and community worker."
District 2
Candy Mero-Carlson is the five-term councilor for District 2. She's recently been under fire for allegedly-but-almost-definitely making transphobic and anti-refugee comments about her peers. Candy chairs the Economic Development Committee.
Born and raised in Worcester, Rob Bilotta is housing and disability advocate, as well as a member of the Worcester Human Rights Commission and Together Affordable Housing Coalition.
District 3
John Fresolo is a former state senator who resigned amid allegations that he abused state reimbursements and sent unsolicited dick pics to a staffer. He's also been arrested for domestic violence.
Robert Pezzella is the former school safety director for Worcester Public Schools. His tenure was marred by accusations that he enforced racially-disproportionate discipline models, i.e punished minority students more severerely than their counterparts.
District 4
Luis Ojeda is a lifelong Worcester resident, first-term city councilor, and Assistant Principal at University Park Campus School. He chairs the Public Health and Human Services committee.
Ted Kostas is a rare openly-republican candidate for City Council. Kostas is a member of the Worcester Republican City Committe, and has backed Donald Trump and RFK Jr. in the past. He is a project coordinator for Open Sky Community Services.
District 5
Etel Haxhiaj has served District 5 for four years by championing progressive causes and standing up for immigrants, often drawing the ire of local conservatives. Haxhiaj works as the Senior Policy Manager for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, and chairs the city's Education Committee.
Jose Rivera is a former three-time WBA welterweight and super welterweight champion. Rivera has an impressive record, racking up 43 wins over 50 career fights, 25 by knockout. Rivera stands at 5'8" tall and has a 70" reach.
Which candidate has raised the most money in 2025?
| Candidate | $ Raised | District |
|---|---|---|
| Satya Mitra | $92,893 | At-Large |
| Joe Petty | $88,072 | At-Large |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | $62,798 | D2 |
| Moe Bergman | $39,939 | At-Large |
| Robert Pezzella | $39,771 | D3 |
| Khrystian King | $27,836 | At-Large |
| Rob Bilotta | $26,531 | D2 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | $25,836 | D5 |
| Tony Economou | $23,975 | D1 |
| John Fresolo | $19,379 | D3 |
| Kate Toomey | $17,686 | At-Large |
| Jose Rivera | $16,367 | D5 |
| Cayden Davis | $11,983 | At-Large |
| Donna Colorio | $11,627 | At-Large |
| Keith Linhares | $9,117 | D1 |
| Jermoh Kamara | $6,950 | At-Large |
| Ted Kostas | $6,269 | D4 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | $3,996 | At-Large |
| Luis Ojeda | $3,495 | D4 |
| Gary Rosen | $3,070 | At-Large |
| Jessica Pepple | $1,704 | At-Large |
| Edson Montero | $515 | At-Large |
WINNER: Satya Mitra
Mitra has raised an eye-popping $92,893, with over 75% coming from outside of Worcester, and 14% from out-of-state. According to Mitra, “Many of these donors, though not residents, have a vested interest in Worcester — through investment properties, business activities, or family ties.”
Which candidate's donors have the deepest pockets?
| Candidate | Avg. Donation | # of Donors |
|---|---|---|
| Satya Mitra | $400 | 232 |
| Joe Petty | $264 | 334 |
| Gary Rosen | $256 | 12 |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | $197 | 319 |
| Robert Pezzella | $182 | 219 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | $138 | 29 |
| Moe Bergman | $131 | 306 |
| Tony Economou | $130 | 184 |
| Luis Ojeda | $129 | 27 |
| Kate Toomey | $124 | 143 |
| Jose Rivera | $118 | 139 |
| Donna Colorio | $114 | 102 |
| John Fresolo | $101 | 192 |
| Khrystian King | $84 | 333 |
| Jessica Pepple | $81 | 21 |
| Jermoh Kamara | $81 | 86 |
| Keith Linhares | $79 | 116 |
| Ted Kostas | $77 | 81 |
| Rob Bilotta | $68 | 392 |
| Edson Montero | $64 | 8 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | $53 | 489 |
| Cayden Davis | $53 | 228 |
WINNER: Satya Mitra
Satya Mitra's 232 donors have given an average of $400 each, almost double the average of the next candidate (Joe Petty). Mitra has the highest number of donors who have maxed out to the donation limit of $1,000.
Where do the candidates donors come from?
Townie's Choice
WINNER: Owura Sarkodieh
| Candidate | % | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Edson Montero | 95.1% | $490 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | 82.4% | $3,293 |
| Gary Rosen | 80.5% | $2,470 |
| Rob Bilotta | 76.8% | $20,373 |
| Jose Rivera | 76.6% | $12,542 |
| John Fresolo | 74.0% | $14,350 |
| Tony Economou | 73.3% | $17,570 |
| Donna Colorio | 70.3% | $8,177 |
| Jermoh Kamara | 69.0% | $4,795 |
| Moe Bergman | 68.6% | $27,399 |
| Keith Linhares | 67.6% | $6,167 |
| Cayden Davis | 66.7% | $7,997 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | 66.2% | $17,111 |
| Ted Kostas | 63.9% | $4,006 |
| Khrystian King | 63.2% | $17,581 |
| Kate Toomey | 58.9% | $10,410 |
| Luis Ojeda | 48.5% | $1,695 |
| Robert Pezzella | 48.3% | $19,190 |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | 47.6% | $29,868 |
| Joe Petty | 40.2% | $35,435 |
| Satya Mitra | 24.2% | $22,435 |
| Jessica Pepple | 11.5% | $196 |
Sorry, Edson Montero, we’re giving it to Owura Sarkodieh. Besides Montero, who has only raised $515, Owura Sarkodieh has raised the vast majority (82.4%) of his money from inside Worcester city limits. Of all district candidates, Rob Bilotta (D2) has raised the most money from inside Worcester.
Suburban Influence
WINNER: Jessica Pepple
| Candidate | % | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Jessica Pepple | 88.5% | $1,508 |
| Satya Mitra | 61.6% | $57,258 |
| Joe Petty | 51.7% | $45,505 |
| Luis Ojeda | 51.5% | $1,800 |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | 50.8% | $31,913 |
| Robert Pezzella | 40.7% | $16,181 |
| Kate Toomey | 37.7% | $6,676 |
| Moe Bergman | 30.9% | $12,360 |
| Khrystian King | 30.4% | $8,460 |
| Donna Colorio | 29.7% | $3,450 |
| Ted Kostas | 26.6% | $1,669 |
| John Fresolo | 26.0% | $5,029 |
| Tony Economou | 25.9% | $6,215 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | 24.8% | $6,395 |
| Jose Rivera | 23.4% | $3,825 |
| Rob Bilotta | 20.8% | $5,518 |
| Jermoh Kamara | 17.9% | $1,245 |
| Keith Linhares | 15.4% | $1,400 |
| Cayden Davis | 15.2% | $1,821 |
| Edson Montero | 4.9% | $25 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | 1.3% | $50 |
| Gary Rosen | 0.0% | $0 |
Jessica Pepple is the suburban people’s princess, raising almost all of her money (88.5%) from co-workers at the RFK Community Alliance. Pepple's total donations are dwarfed by Satya Mitra's, who has raised $57,258 from surrounding areas in Massachusetts.
Foreign Agents
WINNER: Gary Rosen
| Candidate | % | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Rosen | 19.5% | $600 |
| Cayden Davis | 18.1% | $2,165 |
| Keith Linhares | 17.0% | $1,550 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | 16.4% | $653 |
| Satya Mitra | 14.2% | $13,200 |
| Jermoh Kamara | 13.1% | $910 |
| Robert Pezzella | 11.1% | $4,400 |
| Ted Kostas | 9.5% | $594 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | 9.0% | $2,330 |
| Joe Petty | 8.1% | $7,133 |
| Khrystian King | 6.4% | $1,795 |
| Kate Toomey | 3.4% | $600 |
| Rob Bilotta | 2.4% | $640 |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | 1.6% | $1,016 |
| Tony Economou | 0.8% | $190 |
| Moe Bergman | 0.5% | $180 |
| Luis Ojeda | 0.0% | $0 |
| Jose Rivera | 0.0% | $0 |
| John Fresolo | 0.0% | $0 |
| Jessica Pepple | 0.0% | $0 |
| Edson Montero | 0.0% | $0 |
| Donna Colorio | 0.0% | $0 |
Gary Rosen has the largest percentage of out-of-state donations, mostly thanks to support from a family member in Boynton Beach, Florida. Cayden Davis is runner up, with $2,165 out of $11,983 total raised from outside Massachusetts. In total dollars raised, Satya Mitra is still the king of foreign influence, with $13,200 from out-of-state donors.