The Westbrook Republican Committee filled just eight nominations from a list of 25 at the Republican caucus Sunday evening.

Five city council seats – Wards 2, 3, 4, 5 and one at-large seat – have no candidates, as well as all four open school committee seats – Wards 1, 2, 5 and one at-large seat.

“It was a pretty good turnout,” said Councilor John O’Hara. There about 50 people in attendence. “The unfortunate part was getting candidates to fill the seats.”

“The only way to make a change is to get in the game and participate,” he said.

O’Hara, an at-large councilor, and Mayor Bruce Chuluda are both running for their positions again.

William Holmes is the Republican nominee to the Ward 1 city councilor seat, and Deborah Frank is the nominee for the city clerk’s position.

Holmes is the director of the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center and a long-time law enforcement officer who rose to the rank of captain. He has previously been a candidate for Cumberland County sherriff.

Frank has 35 years of administrative experience, and has been working in a managerial position at Florida Power and Light for the last nine years. She has been a Westbrook city councilor, a school committee member and a candidate for the state House of Representative.

“The is something about working with the people from my city that would be much more meaningful to me,” Frank said.

The clerk’s position was also sought by Linda Adams, who had worked in the clerk’s office in the 1990s. Both Adams and Frank said they would not be running if the deputy clerk, Ruthie Noble, were running. Noble, instead, is taking the city clerk’s position in Cape Elizabeth. Frank beat Adams, 34-9.

Adams has sought to change her party in order to seek the nomination for city clerk at the Democratic caucus. At the American Journal deadline, the city clerk’s office was waiting on a legal opinion as to whether the change would be allowed.

John Grindle will be running for Ward 3 clerk, Pamela Moody for Ward 5 clerk, Joan Labbe for Ward 2 warden, and Margo Mannette for warden at central voting.

The committee will be working to fill the vacant nominations before its next committee meeting, Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. in the training room at the public safety building.

The Democratic caucus is scheduled for Sept. 9, 6 p.m., at Wescott Junior High School. The deadline for all nominations is Sept. 13.

GOP caucus yields few candidatesGOP caucus yields few candidates