Incumbents Qualify for Attleboro Election

Editor's Note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated Walter Thibodeau was certified for the election and did not include the fact Richard Conti was certified. This was due to an error on the status sheet at the city's Election's Department office. Office Manager Marianne Draine contacted Patch about the error after the story was published. She said Thibodeau "is a little short of 100 percent certified" and Conti was certified for the election. The story has been corrected.

Three sitting Attleboro city councilors were certified Monday for the fall election. Frank Cook, Richard Conti and Jay DiLisio became official candidates when election officials confirmed they had collected enough signatures from local registered voters.

Cook, who is the council president, is running for an eighth term as the Ward 3 representative. Conti and DiLisio are running for the at-large seats. 

Prior to Friday, Cook was the only sitting councilor who had not pulled papers other than Sara-Lynn Reynolds, who said she would not run for a second term as an at-large councilor because she plans to compete for the state Senate seat currently occupied by Richard Ross. Cook told Patch earlier this year he had not been focusing on whether to run because of health issues. In a press release issued Monday, he wrote he had fully recovered from a respiratory ailment.

"In announcing his re-election plan, Cook emphasized his intention to continue working on the effort to revitalize downtown, part of which is in Ward 3," wrote Cook in the press release. "He noted his involvement with the numerous projects, such as the Intermodal Transportation Center  and the adjacent Renaissance Station  and riverfront project which are changing the face of Attleboro, and his desire of seeing these efforts through to their conclusion."

[The press release is attached to this article]

It appears Cook will have at least two opponents. Former Councilor John Davis and Planning Board member Ben Dowling pulled papers for the Ward 3 race in March, and both men told Patch they would run. 

Conti and DiLisio are seeking their third and second terms, respectively, as at-large councilors. The top five vote-getters in the at-large contest earn council seats. At-large Councilor Brian Kirby was certified for the election last week. Peter Blais pulled papers, but has not returned them as of Monday. Challenger Heather Porreca qualified for the at-large race in March. Challenger Burt Buckley pulled papers, but has not returned them.

While several people have pulled papers for the various school committee races, nobody has returned them as of Monday. A field that continues to grow with potential candidates is the one for the Ward 4 seat, which has been held by Brenda Furtado  since she ousted then-incumbent Jackie Romaniecki in 2009. Lori Scales became the fourth person to pull papers for the race Friday. Furtado as well as potential challengers Kristina Piasecki and Diane Lynch-Bartek have also pulled papers.