By JIM BARON

PROVIDENCE — The special election to fill the District 62 House seat left vacant when Rep. Elizabeth Dennigan resigned to mount a campaign for U.S. Congress has attracted four would-be candidates.

One Democrat, one Republican and two Independents declared themselves as candidates last week. Two of the candidates are from Pawtucket, which has the larger number of voters in the two-city district and two are from East Providence.
Pawtucket Democrat Mary Duffy Messier declared her intention to run, as did Independent Brian Cinq-Mars of Pawtucket. Thomas Clupny of East Providence declared as a Republican candidate, and Paul Dinsmore of East Providence, who has run for the seat several times as a Republican, and who also has made numerous bids for the Senate seat in the same area, filed as an Independent.
In 2008, Dennigan defeated Dinsmore for the House seat by a margin of 81 percent to 19 percent.
Not declaring by last Friday’s deadline was Pawtucket Democrat Jon Anderson, a former school committeeman, whose mother, Mabel Anderson, served roughly the same district for two decades before the 2002 redistricting.
When Dennigan first suggested she might run for Congress earlier this year, Anderson expressed an interest in the District 62 race. 
The candidates can obtain nomination papers from the boards of canvassers in their respective communities starting today, and must collect at least 50 valid signatures of voters in the district by next Tuesday in order to qualify to be on the ballot for the special election, which will be held Dec. 29, during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
In a press release, Mollis said that day was chosen, despite the holiday calendar, with the aim of “encourag(ing) voter turnout while ensuring residents will have representation in the House as soon as possible.” The General Assembly is scheduled to begin its 2010 session on Jan. 5
Because only one Democrat and one Republican filed for the seat – no one from the fledgling Moderate Party, which leader Ken Block says is focusing on winning General Assembly seats, declared as a candidate – there will be no primary, which will save money not only for the candidates, but the two communities involved.
It won't be known which candidates will qualify for the ballot until the East Providence and Pawtucket boards of canvassers and the Secretary of State’s office have certified that the contenders submitted the required 50 valid signatures. The certification of signatures generally takes several days.
In order to vote in the primary, residents of the district must be registered to vote in their respective communities by Nov. 28. Mail ballot applications must be submitted by Dec. 8