Lachance return to City Council chambers seems a pretty good bet

Doug Lachance (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - Former mayor and cancer survivor Doug Lachance will likely be back in City Hall chambers this fall after Ward 1 Councilor and Deputy Mayor Ray Varney decided not to run for re-election.

Varney has been a City Councilor since 2005 and deputy mayor for a decade.

Lachance, who finished second to Mayor Caroline McCarley in the last mayoral race, will be running unopposed for a Ward 1 Seat B spot.

It appears that McCarley will also be running unopposed as no one filed for the mayor's office by Monday afternoon's deadline.

Meanwhile, gambling will be the overriding theme of ballot questions to be decided with Keno getting a second shot at being approved after the last vote ended in a tie; and another question asking city voters if they want to allow licensed sports betting locations.

Other contested City Councilor races include:

Ward 1 Seat A: Incumbent councilor Jeremy Hutchinson vs. Bruce Corey.

Ward 2 Seat A: Incumbent Elaine Lauterborn vs. Warren Sprague

Ward 2 Seat B: Sandra Keans vs. Palana Belken

Ward 4 Seat B: Incumbent Geoffrey Hamann vs. Laura Hainey

Ward 5 Seat B: Ex-councilor Don Hamann, Shon Stevens and Richard Krauss.

Ward 5 Seat A: Incumbent Ralph Torr vs. Christopher Rice.

Ward 6 Seat B: Jim Gray vs. Donna Ellis.

Ward 6 Seat A: Incumbent Donna Bogan vs. Edwin Walker.