There will be a preliminary municipal election on Tuesday, Sept.16, to narrow the number of candidates for mayor and City Council. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Ward 1 voters will cast their ballots at the Jackson Street School.

There are four candidates for mayor: Daniel Breindel, David Dombrowski, Jillian Duclos, and incumbent Gina-Louise Sciarra. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

There are six candidates for two at-large City Council seats: Deborah Henson, Yakov Kronrod, William O’Dwyer, incumbent Garrick Perry, Margaret Robbins, and Benjamin Spencer. The top four vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

There are three candidates for the Ward 1 City Council seat: Nikolas Letendre-Cahillane, Gwenevra Nabad and Michele Ronco. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

The preliminary election also will reduce the number of candidates for City Council in Wards 3 and 5 from three to two.

The Ward 3 candidates are Laurie Loisel, incumbent Quaverly Rothenberg and Ace Tayloe.

The Ward 5 candidates are Aline Davis, David Murphy and Vincent Rotello IV.

There will be in-person early voting in City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 10 through Sept. 12

Mail-in ballots also are available before the preliminary election. Information about that is available here:

https://www.northamptonma.gov/2274/Early-Mail-In-Voting

The deadline for registering to vote before the preliminary election is 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6.

Candidate forums

The League of Women Voters of Northampton Area will hold forums at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, 130 Pine St., Florence, for the City Council candidates in Wards 1, 3 and 5, at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, and for the mayoral and at-large City Council candidates at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 26.

The forums will be live-streamed at northamptonopenmedia.org and televised on Comcast Community TV Channel 12.

Information about pre-registering for in-person attendance (which is encouraged to ensure sufficient seating) and submitting questions through Friday, Aug. 22, is available here:

https://lwvnorthamptonarea.org

The Ward 1 City Council candidates also are scheduled to meet with residents and answer questions from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29, at the Agnes Fox Playground, 253 State St.

Stan