By RUSS OLIVO

WOONSOCKET — Six candidates have lined up to run for the vacant House of Representatives District 51 seat last held by Roger A. Picard, now the Democratic senator who represents Dist. 20 (Woonsocket-Cumberland).

The packed field includes Picard’s older brother, a two-time contender for City Council, a well-known restaurateur and a former deputy state fire marshal. They are Richard A. Picard, Robert D. Phillips, David Lahousse and Joseph D. Barroso, respectively.
Also filing papers with the Board of Canvassers during the three-day declaration period that ended Wednesday were Christopher M. Fierro and Bamby L. Mohamed. None of the six have ever held public office, and, with the exception of Picard and Phillips, their names have never been uttered in political spheres.
All filed as Democrats, meaning that, barring an early withdrawal of one of the candidates, they will face off in a primary on Sept. 9 that will become the de facto election. Although the winner’s name will still appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, the contest will be over by then unless there is a write-in candidate.
In other campaign news, two incumbent lawmakers, Demo-cratic state Sen. Marc A. Cote (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield) and State Rep. Jon D. Brien (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket) will face challengers this season. Cote, 55, of 144 Woodland Road, a longtime realtor for Boucher & Company, is seeking his eighth term.
Christine Charest, 54, of 19 Lincoln Drive, North Smithfield, took out papers with the North Smithfield Board of Canvassers to challenge Cote, officials from the town’s Board of Canvassers said. Charest is the former chairwoman of the North Smithfield School Committee and also serves as postmaster for the village of Slatersville. She is running as a Democrat, which means she, too, would square off against Cote in a primary.
In House District 50, longtime Woonsocket Detective Sergeant Robert R. Moreau, 46, took out papers to challenge Brien, a freshman lawmaker who also works as a corporate lawyer. Also a Democrat, Moreau would face Brien in a primary, with the winner of the contest going up against Republican Harvey Nabozny in the general election. Nabozny, 48, of 407 Front St., is an electrical technician who has run for statewide office unsuccessfully in the past.
Meanwhile, State Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt (D-Dist. 49, Woonsocket) and Sen. Picard are both unopposed.
Picard, 51, of 764 Mendon Road, stepped down from the District 51 House after several terms earlier this year to run for the District 20 seat vacated by the unexpected death of the late Sen. Roger A. Badeau, longtime chairman of the Senate Labor Committee. The House seat has been vacant since Picard won Badeau’s post on Sept. 9 in a four-way battle.
Now there is another rush of newcomers attempting to gain a foothold at the General Assembly with a run for the District 51 slot.
Richard Picard, 61, of 734 Bound Road, doesn’t discount the fact that he’s Picard’s brother as part of his hoped-for political allure. He says it might actually be an advantage to his constituents to have a new legislator who comes with built-in connections at the General Assembly.
“I think it would be, the way things are today,” says the elder Picard. “It’s very difficult to get things passed.”
A lifelong city resident, Picard is a veteran automotive technology teacher at Chariho Regional High School who narrowly lost an election to the School Committee in 2005. One of his short-term ideas as a legislator would be to slow the pace of municipal property revaluation. State law currently requires every city and town to reappraise their stock of housing and commercial property every three years.
Given the slide in the housing market, Picard says it makes sense to reappraise property for the purpose of taxation less often. It would also give the city a break from paying for revaluation, which generally costs a community the size of Woonsocket about $200,000.
“Instead of doing it every three years, maybe do it every five years,” Picard said. “Give the taxpayers a breather, at least give the market a chance to settle down.”
Another idea he wants to promote at the General Assembly is expansion of regional trade and vocational schools. Most people don’t realize it, according to Picard, but the trades are pressed for young trainees because there has been a wave of retirements among older, skilled workers.
An assistant branch manager for Citizens Bank, Phillips has run for City Council twice in the last four years, finishing ninth in a field of 16 in 2007. Phillips currently serves on the Tax Board of Appeals, an appointive position.
His major legislative concerns, he says, are the economy and education. Phillips says the state needs to find new strategies for luring businesses and jobs to the region, and the way education policy is implemented and paid for must be overhauled.
“We need to look totally at the educational system,” says Phillips. “We should alleviate pressure on cities and towns by eliminating some of these unfunded mandates.”
Phillips, 51, of 425 Dunlap St., and his wife, Nancy, have twin sons and enjoy volunteering their time to raise money for charity. Phillips and his wife are members of the Woonsocket Chapter of the St. Jude Children’s Hospital Committee, and Phillips has been active in the Milk Fund for several years.
Another contender for the spot, Mohamed, 47, of 394 Congress St., is a lifelong city resident and a single parent who works as a tax associate for CVS/Caremark. She calls herself a “newbie” who wants to make a difference in her community.
“I’m just an everyday person,” she said. “I thought it would be a good experience for me to give back to my community.”
Fierro, 28, of 137 Ridge St., works as a researcher for the New England Carpenters Labor Management Program. He says his family has lived in the East Woonsocket area for about 60 years and is tired of hearing people talk about change and do nothing. Instead, he says, “I’d like to make some of those changes that people in my neighborhood are talking about.”
Lahousse, 47, of 106 Ridge St., is the proprietor of Kay’s Restaurant on Cass Avenue and The Lodge in Lincoln. Barroso was a longtime city firefighter and assistant state fire marshal for the Woonsocket Fire Department before he became a deputy in the State Fire Marshal’s office.