Not that the Belvidere neighborhood hasn’t been Ground Zero in past Lowell elections, but after a 2023 election which saw the neighborhood’s City Council and School Committee candidates running unopposed, 2025 is already shaping up as the most active district race in the city.
Corey Belanger was appointed by the Council to replace John Leahy last July, in a controversial process that saw nine Belvidere residents apply for the position.
One of those individuals, Belinda Juran, filed paperwork organizing her candidacy with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance Thursday.
Juran was one of four applicants addressing the Council at that July 23rd meeting, along with Belanger, Erin Gendron and Rith Uong.
“Since the start of 2020, I’ve devoted this third stage of my career to Lowell, serving on several boards and participating in a variety of projects,” Juran tells InsideLowell. “I want to continue to help the city by taking the next step and being part of its leadership.”
Her LinkedIn profile indicates Juran was a Partner at WilmerHale Law Firm in Washington D.C., where she began as an Associate in 2004 and is listed as a Retired Partner since January of 2020. She currently sits on the Board at the International Institute of New England, where she began serving May of 2021. The profile also lists her as serving on the UMass Lowell Advisory Board from March of 2021 through the present, and as an Advisory Board member at Harvard University’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy since January of 2021.
“Many of Lowell’s challenges, including economic development and homelessness, are complex and require integrated solutions,” Juran went on to say. “They also require a perspective that emphasizes hopefulness over negativity, strives to achieve long-term over purely short-term goals, and pragmatically seeks the best solutions given real constraints. I bring that perspective.”
Belanger and Juran will likely have company on the ballot, necessitating a Preliminary Election in September.
Ronald DiBerto, who had also applied for the seat last summer, declared himself a candidate shortly after the vote to appoint Belanger. DiBerto confirmed his intent to run with InsideLowell last fall, however he’s yet to officially set up a campaign account with the state.
Rumors continue to circulate that Erin Gendron, daughter in law of former City Councilor and School Committee member Steve Gendron, is also weighing a run. At press time, Gendron has not responded to our request for comment.
Rith Uong, who served on the Council from 2000-2005 and was the first Southeast Asian elected to office anywhere in America, is another name often bandied about. Uong flirted with the idea of running in 2023, before ultimately deciding not to throw his name on the ballot at that time.
“I am waiting to see who is running for the seat,” Uong tells InsideLowell. “If there are good candidates, then I will pick one to support. I would like to see a candidate who would bring more energy to the council, and no self-interest, but the city.”
Whether the rumor mill churns out any other names remains to be seen, but given the Belvidere neighborhood provides the highest turnout in any city election, the field should be crowded and hotly-contested.
The city’s municipal election calendar has yet to be set. Nomination papers are usually available in June and signatures generally need to be returned by interested candidates in July. If preliminary elections are required in any districts or at-large races, they would likely take place in September, with the general election scheduled for Tuesday, November 4.
