NORWICH LIBERTARIAN COUNCIL, SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES WILL NEED PETITIONS WESTERLY HOSPITAL, UNIONS RATIFY NEW AGREEMENT
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.
Westerly — Westerly Hospital and the United Nurses & Allied Professionals have reached terms on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement, the parties announced Friday.
The agreement was ratified with final votes being tallied late Thursday, the hospital said in a news release. The parties have agreed not to share specific terms, other than that it is a three-year agreement. The current contract expired at midnight Friday.
UNAP has more than 350 members in two bargaining units — the professional/technical bargaining unit and the service and maintenance and skilled maintenance bargaining unit.
“Our associates play such an important role in our delivery network,” said Patrick L. Green, president and CEO of Westerly Hospital, which is part of the Yale New Haven Health network. “They are the faces our patients and families know and respect. This agreement comes at such an important time as we continue to work to ensure the long-term success of Westerly Hospital. I am grateful an agreement was reached to help us take that next step.”
Jackie Desmond, registered nurse and president of Local 5075, the professional/technical bargaining unit, called the agreement a “significant step.”
“We understand the changing landscape that we work in” every day, she said. “To come to an agreement at such a vital time for our community and hospital is important for all of us, especially our patients.”
Judy Lawrence, patient access team leader and president of Local 5104, the service and maintenance and skilled maintenance bargaining unit, said members of the union are pleased.
“An agreement requires hard work and compromise from both parties,” she said. “We believe that’s what we achieved here.”