Who's Running for Worcester City Council At-Large?
Moe Bergman is an attorney, 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 a 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. A member of the Worcester Republican City Committee, Kostas has backed both Donald Trump and RFK Jr. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Petty | $111,997 | At-Large |
| Satya Mitra | $95,134 | At-Large |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | $71,317 | D2 |
| Robert Pezzella | $57,446 | D3 |
| Moe Bergman | $42,979 | At-Large |
| Rob Bilotta | $37,396 | D2 |
| Khrystian King | $36,007 | At-Large |
| Jose Rivera | $32,684 | D5 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | $32,076 | D5 |
| Donna Colorio | $25,852 | At-Large |
| Tony Economou | $25,625 | D1 |
| Kate Toomey | $23,882 | At-Large |
| John Fresolo | $21,264 | D3 |
| Cayden Davis | $19,897 | At-Large |
| Jermoh Kamara | $19,326 | At-Large |
| Keith Linhares | $11,995 | D1 |
| Ted Kostas | $6,317 | D4 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | $5,791 | At-Large |
| Luis Ojeda | $5,531 | D4 |
| Gary Rosen | $4,338 | At-Large |
| Jessica Pepple | $2,344 | At-Large |
| Edson Montero | $615 | At-Large |
WINNER: Joe Petty
Mayor Joe Petty has recently overtaken Satya Mitra for the most donations overall. Petty collected over $11,000 in October, despite almost no campaign spending since September. Most of Petty's donors come from affiliates and members of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Which candidate's donors have the deepest pockets?
| Candidate | Avg. Donation | # of Donors |
|---|---|---|
| Satya Mitra | $385 | 247 |
| Joe Petty | $253 | 442 |
| Gary Rosen | $241 | 18 |
| Candy Mero-Carlson | $195 | 365 |
| Robert Pezzella | $170 | 337 |
| Donna Colorio | $160 | 162 |
| Luis Ojeda | $154 | 36 |
| Jose Rivera | $149 | 219 |
| Tony Economou | $128 | 200 |
| Moe Bergman | $128 | 337 |
| Kate Toomey | $111 | 216 |
| John Fresolo | $104 | 204 |
| Owura Sarkodieh | $100 | 58 |
| Khrystian King | $87 | 412 |
| Jermoh Kamara | $87 | 222 |
| Ted Kostas | $77 | 82 |
| Keith Linhares | $75 | 161 |
| Jessica Pepple | $67 | 35 |
| Rob Bilotta | $64 | 585 |
| Edson Montero | $62 | 10 |
| Etel Haxhiaj | $53 | 603 |
| Cayden Davis | $53 | 375 |
WINNER: Satya Mitra
Satya Mitra's 232 donors have given an average of $385 each, 50% more than 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.