Polls will be open for Districts 4 and 7 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the municipal preliminary election on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
The preliminary election is for District Four for City Council and District Seven for School Committee only.
In District Four, current Councilor Tanairi Garcia is running alongside current Licensing Commission Chair Marnie MacAlpine and Adriel Adonis Rodriguez.
Due to redistricting, Garcia is not technically a candidate for reelection, since she currently represents District 7. Longtime current District 4 Councilor Enio Lopez is not running for reelection this year.
Garcia said she is a proud community activist, owner of Aloe Natural Coffee Shop, and mother of two children.
My experience working in Chelsea is focused on Youth Development, Environmental and Food Justice, Housing Insecurity and advocating for the needs of the community as a whole,” Garcia said. “My activism began at the age of 5, where I held my first sign in Cary Square. Now, thirty plus years later, I am holding my very own campaign sign for re-election. At 14 years old, I was a part of the creation of Chelsea’s first-ever community garden.”
MacAlpine stated that one of her largest goals is to improve communication between the residents and the city. She said she constantly hears complaints that residents don’t feel heard and aren’t receiving follow-up when they reach out for assistance. In addition, during her time on the Licensing Commission, she said she has learned that there are tons of wonderful things being done by our city that only a few know about and wants to assist in bridging this gap.
Rodriguez is advocating for better ride transportation, cheaper electric bills, financial literacy, safer streets, and a better quality of life in Chelsea. Rodriguez is an energy consultant for Sunrun.
The District Seven School Committee preliminary features candidates Lucia Henriquez, Loren Sokol, and Celeste Williams.
Henriquez is currently a financial coach at The Neighborhood Developers. She said her goals on the School Committee are to continue being a voice for our students and their families, to retain high quality staff, ensure professional development is mindful of a diverse population, to ensure fiscal responsibility in the schools, and to assist the district as it strives to become the best urban school district in the state.
Williams has lived in Chelsea for over 40 years and is a parent of current and former Chelsea Public Schools students. Williams stated she is committed to promoting productive parent/teacher alliances and advocating for provisions to promote opportunities and resources to nurture diversity and empower lifelong learners in the schools.
Sokol has worked with Chelsea youth and families for the past three years as a social worker at La Colaborativa, He often attended school committee meetings with Chelsea students in order to ensure their concerns would be heard. This resulted in attendance policy reform, in addition to securing student representation in decision-making processes.
“We need more transparency and accessibility for non-English speaking parents,” Sokol said. “I have worked personally with parents who found it difficult to advocate for their children the way they needed to because of language barriers and other obstacles to accessing support.”
The Williams School Auditorium, Arlington Street side, will be the polling location for both races.