KEENE, N. H. (MyKeeneNow) – Five candidates have filed to fill an open seat on the Keene City Council in Ward one.

The seat was vacated at the beginning of April by former Councilor Raleigh Ormerod, who said he was resigning from the council to focus more of his time and energy on other boards he serves on, and in his personal life.

An initial filing period to fill the vacancy ran from April 12th – April 26th. At that time four candidates had filed for the seat: Bradford Hutchinson, Jacob Favolise, Janis Manwaring, and Valerie Bradley-Walsh.

At their meeting on May 2nd, each candidate was given five minutes to address the full council and speak to their candidacy. The council then had to vote on their preferred candidate, and that candidate would be sworn in and take their seat for the rest of the meeting.

Hutchinson was not present at the meeting and was automatically eliminated from consideration, and in a primary vote the council eliminated Favolise, a junior at Keene State College who said he wanted to see more representation of his peers on the council. The council was deadlocked between Manwaring and Bradley-Walsh at seven votes each. Council rules dictated that Mayor Jay Kahn was not able to break the tie, so the whole process needed to be done a second time.

The second filing period ran from May 10th – May 24th. Hutchinson and Favolise both filed again, while Manwaring and Bradley-Walsh did not. Three other residents filed to fill the seat. That includes Ethan Frock, Dylan Germana, and Michael Conway.

Hutchinson, Favolise, Frock, Germana, and Conway will all be given the opportunity to address the council at their June 6th meeting, and the council will attempt another vote to fill the seat, with a term set to expire in December 2025.