State House race heats up between old foes in Lawrence

By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff

LAWRENCE -- A man who ran for the District 16 state representative seat two years ago but was tossed off the ballot for not living in the district is seeking the seat again.

This time, he says it is the incumbent who doesn't live in the district.

Former Lawrence city councilor Marcos Devers announced that he is challenging incumbent William "Willy" Lantigua for the seat on Sept. 16 and said he has evidence that Lantigua hasn't lived in the district for a few months.

In a telephone interview, Devers said he will make that evidence available for state officials "if it's needed."

"I've seen him living somewhere else," said Dever, a former city councilor who has openly battled with Lantigua. "It's easy to notice in a city like Lawrence."

State law requires candidates for state representative seats to live in the district for at least a year prior to appearing on the ballot for that office. In 2006, Lantigua successfully got Devers thrown off the ballot after he proved that Devers didn't meet residency requirements.

Devers also said he believes he can better represent residents in District 16 and can beat Lantigua in the fall primary.

Lantigua said Devers is "just shooting off his mouth" and can't be trusted since he was "the one who lied" about living in the district during the last Democratic primary.

"If I didn't live in the district ... how many people would make it the public record? It's going to be up to him to produce this 'evidence.' " Lantigua said.

Devers and Lantigua, both Democrats and born in the Dominican Republic, have feuded for years in this majority Latino city of 71,000.

The District 16 District is a largely Latino district in Lawrence.

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