New Bedford Ward 3 City Council Special Election Primer

A diverse filed of candidates are vying to fill the empty Ward 3 city council seat after the resignation of Henry Bousquet earlier this month. Of the six individuals running, two have previously served on the council, a pair have served in some other local political capacity while two more are political newcomers.

Kathy Dehner, 60, of 1259 Rockdale Ave., is a former Ward 3 councilor and currently a real estate manager and part-time manager at Greasy Luck Brewery in downtown New Bedford.

Hugh Dunn, 31, of 24 Logan St., is an attorney and executive director of the SouthCoast Development Partnership. A former district representative to Rep. William Keating, Dunn moved out of the city to Attleboro before recently returning to the city. Dunn has received endorsements by Bousquet, former Ward 3 councilor George Smith and the New Bedford Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 841.

Bethany Fauteux, 33, of 36 Dewolf St., is a cook at Destination Soups in downtown New Bedford.

Guy A. Larock, 46, of 385 Loftus St., is a local attorney specializing in criminal defense as well as general practice.

Jill Marie Ussach, 69, of 915 Hathaway Rd., currently works at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office as an educational specialist and also serves as a state committee woman for the GOP. Ussach served on the New Bedford School Committee from 2007 to 2011 and has served on multiple executive boards across the Southcoast.

Mark Zajac, 52, of 805 Hathaway Rd., served as Ward 6 councilor from 1992 through 1995. He was elected City Council President in 1995 and returned to the council as a councilor-at-large in 1997 to fill serve the remainder of Thomas M. Hodgson’s after he resigned from the council when elected Bristol County sheriff. Zajac moved to Ward 3 in 2010 and currently practices law in the city.

Live at the community meeting for the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association where Ward 3 special election candidates are giving time to speak.

Important dates for the Ward 3 Special Election Preliminary

  • March 8th – Final day to register to vote in Ward 3 Special Election Preliminary
  • March 25th – Absentee voting begins for Ward 3 Special Election Preliminary at City Hall, Room 114
  • March 27th – Deadline for absentee voting
  • March 28th – Ward 3 Special Election Preliminary, polls open 7am – 8pm

Important dates for the Ward 3 Special Election

  • April 5th – Final day to register to vote in Ward 3 Special Election
  • April 22nd – Absentee voting begins for Ward 3 Special Election at City Hall, Room 114
  • April 24th – Deadline for absentee voting
  • April 25th – Ward 3 Special Election, polls open 7am – 8pm

Ward-3 New Bedford Map