Mediaboss Marketing

Norwich The six City Council candidates endorsed by the local Libertarian Party, and any future Libertarian Board of Education candidates, will need to petition to get onto the November ballot, City Clerk Betsy Barrett said Friday.

Endorsed Libertarian mayoral candidate William Russell, however, does not need a petition, because the party secured 10 percent of the overall vote in the 2013 municipal election when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor.

But since the party did not place any council or school board candidates on the 2015 election ballot, the group will need petition signatures of 43 registered Norwich voters 1 percent of the total 4,284 votes cast in the 2015 local election to secure spots on the ballot.

The local Libertarian Party caucus on Wednesday endorsed Russell to run for mayor and six council candidates: James Fear, Darlene Wooldridge, Stacylynn Cottle, Janice Loomis, Nick Casiano and Richard Bright.

Russell erroneously had believed that no petition would be needed for the council candidates because of the 2013 election results. He said he hopes to recruit a full slate of six school board candidates by the end of July.

No problem, Russell said after learning of the petition requirement. We can do that in an afternoon.

The petitions for any third-party or unaffiliated candidates seeking to run in November are due by 4 p.m. Aug. 9, Barrett said.

Claire Bessette

More:
Norwich Libertarian council, school board candidates will need petitions - theday.com (subscription)