As the end of the semester wraps up, the election for Bowling Green City Council at-large seats is just getting started. May 2 is the primary election day, but people can vote early. As the Democrats and the Green Party are the only two parties with contested races, only these parties will appear on the primary ballot.

Democrats: Holly Cipriani, Mark Hollenbaugh, Robert Piasecki and Sandy Rowland

Green Party: Helen Kay Dukes, Beverlyann Elwazani, Carolyn S. Kawecka and Rosamond L. McCallister

 Independent: Nathan Eberly

 Republican: Gregory W. Robinette

Incumbent Sandy Rowland, the only woman currently on city council, is hoping to retain her seat on council on the Democratic ticket. Candidates for the Green Party ticket are hoping to see an increase in female representation on council.

Bowling Green not only has four women running for the Green Party ticket, but also has the only contested Green Party ballot for city council in the state of Ohio. Let’s meet the Green Party Candidates:

Carolyn Kawecka

“The fact that voters can only be a member of a political party by voting in a primary, that was one of my primary motivations.”

“I live in Bowling Green and I love Bowling Green, but what I see are very few women on city council. It’s crucial to have women representatives. At least there’s a chance they will be paying attention of actual women’s issues.”

“Government is about people in office representing people not in office. The community should not have to beg representatives not to do something bad.”

“I’ve looked at several political parties, and this is the only one that I can say that I agree with.”

“The Green Party wants to forgive student debt… In my mind, this is one of the most important things for the economic future of this nation as well as the leadership of our country.”

Beverly Elwazani

“With the current air in politics in general right now, and with the way the presidential turned out, I felt there was a call to make a difference somehow. I felt the best way to do that was at the local level. It’s important to change the tone of politics from the local level on up.”

“I’d encourage people to get online and read about the Green Party and realize that we are not that far off from what people are looking for in the country right now. We look for grassroots involvement, and we look for peaceful resolution of discourse. Equality, feminism, representation in government, all of those aspects of government that people are looking for are all pillars in the Green Party.”

Helen Dukes

“I think that there’s a lot of division in the country, and a lot of people are looking for a third party because they don’t like the other parties as much. I want to give an alternative option, a party for people to choose from.”

“I really believe in everything that the Greens stand for. They stand on their beliefs rather than the popularity of their candidates.”

“I think we need a clearer, kinder country. And that starts at home.”

Rosamond McCallister

“Democrats are leaving the party and need a place to go. And if they don’t vote in the primary in the Green Party, they won’t have another option for a while. “

“I think we’re great at going green, but we can do a lot more. We can be encouraging the community to go green and be sustainable and get back to our roots.”

“A lot of people, with politicians, they think that means money, money, money. Not with me. I have a voice of the underdog that isn’t really being represented in our government anymore.”

“We need to remember it isn’t about the rich people. It’s about the common people.”