Photo by LESLIE WILLIAMS / Staff

To keep track of council votes for each applicant, Mercer Group Vice President Tom Freijo (pictured) kept tally on an easel pad Monday night. Three candidates, Richard Gestrich, Mark Lauzier and Dale Sugerman, received unanimous votes of interest from the council. Freijo will now conduct background checks to further narrow the field of 11 to five or six. Leslie Williams/Staff