Susan Rice throws a late hat into the ring in bid to unseat the sitting mayor

Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan and Susan Rice have sparred frequently the past couple of years. (Rochester Voice file photos)

ROCHESTER - At a recent City Council meeting Susan Rice, a frequent and vocal critic of city officials including Mayor Paul Callaghan, lambasted the first-term mayor for his heavy handed approach to governance, marched to his seat on the dais and handed him his own letter of resignation.
Now she's looking to make the resignation official, seeking to unseat the incumbent Callaghan in the November election.
Rice, who has taken other officials to task like Economic Development Director Bob Scala and Planning Director Shanna Saunders, was among the late filers for the municipal elections set for Nov. 7. The filing deadline was Monday at 5 p.m.
Strikingly, some eight incumbent City Councilors, including Deputy Mayor and longtime Ward 3 representative Pete Lachapelle have opted not to run for re-election, promising a seachange in the city's chief deliberative body.
The other seven incumbents not running are longtime councilors Laura Hainey and James Gray as well as one-and-done councilors like Skip Gilman, Steve Beaudoin, John Larochelle, Ashley Desrochers and Dana Berlin.
Another City Council race to watch is the battle between longtime Brock Street political foes Chuck Grassie and David Walker.
After it appeared Republican David Walker had won the 2021 Ward 4 state rep race by a slim margin a recount found the two had tied, leading to a February Special Election won easily by Grassie, a Democrat.
Here's the full lineup for City Council seats and the candidates:
Ward 1 Seat A will feature a race between Patricia Turner and Joshua Guptel, while Ward 1 Seat B will see Tim Fontneau unopposed.
In Ward 2 Seat A former city manager Daniel Fitzpatrick is unopposed, as is Amy Malone in Ward 2 Seat B.
In War 3, the candidates for both seats - Bryan Karolian and David Herman - are unopposed
Ward 4 Seat A will feature one to watch, with Walker and Grassie facing off yet again. Interestingly, both candidates live on Brock Street.
"I live way down the other end," Grassie quipped earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Ward 4, Seat B will see Chuck Creteau and Keith Fitts face off, while Ward 5 will feature two candidates who are unopposed: incumbent Alex de Geofroy and longtime city councilor Donald Hamann.
Finally, in Ward 6 Seat A Matthew Richardson is running unopposed, while Seat A will feature a race between newcomers Benjamin Pratt and Kevin Sullivan.