Three Candidates Will Contend in Dist. 49 Primary Jan. 21

The special election brewing to fill the Dist. 49 seat vacated by new Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt will pit three candidates against each other in the Jan. 21 primary.

Since all three candidates are Democrats, the  winner will run unopposed for the seat during the Feb. 25 special election. A fourth Democrat, Stuart Gitlow, was short one signature on his nomination papers, and will not be on the ballot. (Check out our story on the Dist. 49 hopefuls.) 

On Dec. 23, Estelle Corriveau, manager for the Board of Canvassers, said Gitlow had had an invalid signature on his nomination papers, leaving him one signature short of the 50 signature requirement. According to a report by the Woonsocket Call, Corriveau was unable to reach Gitlow to get another valid signature by the Dec. 24 deadline to get on the ballot. 

The remaining contenders are Douglas T. Brown, Mark L. Chenot, Stuart Gitlow, and Michael A. Morin.

Morin, a fire marshal with the WFD who ran against Baldelli-Hunt last year, said in a release that he has a commitment from the new Mayor to have a good working relationship. Douglas Brown, of 324 Harris Ave., is chairman of the Redevelopment Agency, an appointee of former Mayor Leo Fontaine. Fledgling candidate Chenot, of 400 Gaskill St., is a Physical Therapist at Rhode Island Hospital. 

The Secretary of State will hold a lottery this afternoon, Dec. 27, at 4:30 p.m. to determine the order of the candidates on the ballot.