New London — For the first time in 24 years, registered Democrats in the city will go to the polls next week to determine the field for the Democratic City Council slate in the Nov. 3 municipal elections.

Democrats will be deciding not only on a mayoral candidate at the Sept. 16 primary, but they will also be winnowing the field of eight council hopefuls to seven.

At a Democratic Town Committee meeting in July, where Michael Passero was selected as the party's nominee for the mayoral slot, Ryan C. Henowitz, whose name was put forward as part of the town committee's recommended slate, got bumped when Don Venditto was nominated from the floor by Efrain Dominguez and secured more votes.

But in August, Henowitz filed a petition at City Hall with enough signatures to force a council primary. Incumbent Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio did the same thing, setting up the Passero/Finizio contest that registered Democrats will decide next Wednesday.

Four years ago there was also a Democratic primary to decide the party's mayoral candidate for the November general election, but there hasn't been a primary for a City Council slate since 1991.

That year, Anthony R. Basilica petitioned for a primary after the town committee shunned him after he and his family supported Wade A. Hyslop Jr. over party favorite Margaret M. Curtin as the candidate in a contest for the 39th District House seat. 

Basilica, an incumbent councilor, was punished for supporting Hyslop by being dropped from the town committee's endorsed slate of council candidates. Basilica forced a primary and resoundingly won, and later was re-elected to the council.

Now Democrats will go to the polls Sept. 16 to choose between Passero and Finizio, and to decide their top seven picks for the councilor slate.

As of Sept. 8, there were 6,997 registered Democrats in the city, 1,380 more than on Nov. 1, 2011, the eve of the municipal election that seated Finizio. 

Only registered Democrats can vote in the primary. Four years ago, in the Democratic mayoral primary, 31 percent of the city's registered Democrats voted.

Council contenders, in the order they appear on the ballot, are:

Efrain Dominguez, 41, of 6 Terrace Ave. is seeking a second term on the City Council to continue what he says is his deep desire to give back to the city where he was raised and to continue to work “to ensure I am able to bring about changes for people in the city for the better.”

“The only way to do that is to get involved. To effect change, you have to become one of the leaders,” he said.

Dominguez, who is single, is a social studies teacher at the Dual Language & Arts Magnet Middle School in Waterford. He attended New London Public Schools and has worked as a teacher for 17 years, including time at two New London elementary schools.

Born in Willimantic, Dominguez returned with his family to Dorado, Puerto Rico, for a time before settling in New London. He attended Mitchell College, earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of New Haven.

Dominquez is the former high school wrestling coach and runs an annual basketball camp for teens.

“I love this city. It’s just incredible — the people, the diversity and everything we have here,” he said.

Martha Marx, 52, of 4 Harbor Lane, a newcomer to the political arena, said she is looking forward to getting more involved in the city. A registered nurse with the Visiting Nurses Association of Southeastern Connecticut, Marx is a mother of four adult children.

When asked why she was running, Marx responded, “If not me, then who?”

“I have always loved politics and have more time on my hands to get involved,” she said.

Marx is the president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 5119, helped organize VNA home health aides and was part of a negotiating team that helped ratify their first contract.

“I can be tenacious. I have proven leadership skills and negotiated two contracts that were fair and just for employees, patients and the VNA,” Marx said. “As a nurse and patient advocate, I feel like I can use advocacy and leadership skills as a member of the City Council. I think I’ll be a great voice for New London.”

If elected, Marx said she intended to use her assessment skills to help analyze contracts and focus on the city’s budget, which she said is a “moral document” — “not always just about adding numbers but knowing where the needs are.”

Marx said the council could also use another female voice.

Anthony L. Nolan, 47, of Black Hall Street is a 15-year veteran of the New London Police Department who said a lot of people talk about change, but he wants to remain in a position to actually make changes in the city.

Nolan is seeking a third term on the City Council to help the city continue on the path of recovery, with improving finances and “big changes coming with the school system.”

Nolan is married with one son and a deacon at Shiloh Baptist Church. He said he enjoys “being a representative of the city I care so much about.” He is also involved with the city’s youth and founder of Impact Youth, a local social and activity group.

Originally from Pittsfield, Mass., Nolan served nine years in the U.S. Navy, where he worked as a dental technician before leaving to spend more time with his son as a single parent.

If re-elected, Nolan said he hopes the City Council will have more time to focus on quality-of-life issues and increase community participation in city government. He said the keys to a better New London can be summed up by three words, “revitalize, repopulate and re-energize.”

“It’s not something one person can do. It’s something a community has to do,” Nolan said.

Erica Lynn Richardson, 44, of 295 Jefferson Ave. is seeking a second term on the council, where she said she has had success connecting with members of the community and tried to focus on public safety and economic development issues.

Richardson is a single mother of an 8-year-old son with Asperger’s and works as a corporate paralegal for Yale New Haven Health System. She is a member of the New London chapter of the NAACP, president of The Kiwanis Club of New London and chairwoman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee. Prior to her election to the City Council she served on the Police Community Relations Committee.

Richardson helped organize several meetings between neighborhood groups and police to discuss public safety issues and allow community members to voice their concerns. She plans to continue those conversations on a larger scale, opening meetings to entire districts.

“The ability to foster relationships and knowledge has been my focus, and I really want to continue that with support from leadership at the (police) department,” Richardson said.

She said the City Council has a lot of work to continue support for the city’s transformation into an all-magnet school district. The city’s schools district, she said, is a vital part of improving economic development.

John D. Satti, 59, is a graduate of Long Island University and a former two-term member of the city's Board of Education. He's also a former adult and juvenile probation officer who retired from the state in 2012 after 25 years. Prior to his time with probation, he worked as a labor representative for Connecticut Employees Union Independent and as an investigator for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. Today, he operates Satti's Lawn Care.

A resident of Woodlawn Road, Satti and his wife, Susan, are the parents of six children; John Satti has been active in Little League, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and youth wrestling. His primary reason for running, he said, is that he is unhappy with the way the city is being governed.

Taxes are too high, he said, and Finizio has spent too much on "golden parachutes" to get rid of city employees he didn't want to work with.

"He brags he's balanced the budget," he said. "But he did it on the back of taxpayers."

Satti is optimistic about the city's move to an all-magnet school system, and said, "New London was a hub in the past, and can be again. The magnets can attract people. Strong education will attract people, and that is wonderful."

Satti was charged in East Lyme in December 2013 with evading responsibility. The charge was later changed to operator refusal to show license/registration and he paid a $35 fine.

Michael J. Tranchida, 62, is an incumbent on the council who was first elected in 2013. A graduate of Southern Vermont College, Tranchida spent 19 of his 26 years at New London City Hall working in the city clerk's office, where he rose through the ranks to assistant clerk, and finally city clerk, filling the post from 2001 until his retirement in 2011.

His best asset as a councilor, Tranchida said, is his institutional memory of things that have occurred at City Hall or with the City Council. "I can help to prevent recurring mistakes," he said, and added that he is also a watchdog for taxpayers.

"The biggest problem facing the city today is the tax base," he said. "... with 50 percent of the property tax-exempt. 

"As a Democrat, I was able to help stop the mayor's budget this time around," he said, alluding to the proposed large increase.

Tranchida is an active volunteer with the New London Elks, other fraternal organizations, and recently joined the Custom House Maritime Museum.

Don Venditto, a newcomer to city politics, will celebrate his 53rd birthday next week. A vice president and group leader at Sonalysts Inc. in Waterford, he and his wife, Sara, are the parents of two young adult children.

Venditto said his campaign pledge if elected is to make the city and all of its citizens and businesses his primary objective, and added that his three decades of business experience and "commonsense view" will enable him to address the challenges faced by New London.

"My family has always been committed to making New London a better place to live and work," said the Gardner Avenue resident. "What I see lacking is someone with a business sense, someone who understands what it means to make a payroll, to be a businessman."

Venditto attended Mitchell College but said his lack of a college degree has required him to work even harder to succeed.

"I will work with whoever is elected," he said. "I'm not affiliated with any special interest groups. ... My role and position is to be true to whatever is best for the city and citizens."

Ryan C. Henowitz, 32, grew up in Montville and served two tours of duty in Iraq as an Army medic after graduating from St. Bernard High School in 2001. When he returned from the war, he earned a general studies degree at Three Rivers Community College and then a political science degree at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Today, Henowitz lives on Nob Hill Road and works as a community organizer and legislative advocate for the American Federation of Teachers in Connecticut, traveling around the state advocating for education, health care and state employee issues. 

He was recently appointed by Mayor Finizio as the veterans liaison, answering calls from veterans, assisting vets in applying for benefits, and helping them to navigate around veterans' issues.

In 2008 and again in 2011, Henowitz was arrested for operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He said it was a time when he was dealing with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which he said he has now learned to handle more appropriately. (The first charge was expunged from his record and in the second arrest, Henowitz pleaded guilty to reckless driving and paid a fine.)

"It's definitely a difficult thing to adjust to society once you come back (from war)," he said. "All we can do is try and move forward." 

Henowitz said he is running for council "because there is no better place than New London and no better time than now to take steps to make the city the crown jewel" of the state.

a.baldelli@theday.com

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Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct Erica Richardson's address.