Candidates’ Night is May 4th

Above: As indicated by the flyer design, the Library is again sponsoring Candidates’ night. But the forum will be hosted down the street this year where more parking is available. (image from flyer and photo by Beth Melo)

The annual night to get to know the candidates running for contested positions is Thursday, May 4th. With four contested races, you might want to take part in the job interview.

As usual, the event will include a meet and greet followed by a moderated Q&A hosted by the Trustees of the Southborough Library. However, the event won’t be held in the Library.

Because there are so many contested positions this year, the Trustees chose a forum that allows for a larger seated audience and more parking. The event will take place in Cordaville Hall (aka the Southborough Senior Center).

The Southborough Library Trustees invite:

The Trustees of the Southborough Library will hold their annual “Candidates’ Night” at the Cordaville Hall, 9 Cordaville Road, Southborough on Thursday evening, May 4, 2023. This event gives Southborough voters a chance to meet the candidates, ask questions and get answers. All candidates running for election or re-election in the Annual Town Election have been invited.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a “Meet & Greet” session for the public and all candidates for office. The moderated program will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. with statements and a “Q&A” session with candidates for the four contested races: Select Board, Planning Board, Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds, and the Southborough School Committee. Candidates in uncontested races will be recognized and are encouraged to attend. Library Trustee and Event Organizer Janet Maney will serve as Moderator.

Refreshments will be available.

The Annual Town Election is Tuesday, May 9, 2023. “Candidates’ Night” is an important civic program, part of the Library’s mission to be “the center for life-long learning at the crossroads of our community.”

For those who haven’t been keeping track, a dozen candidates are running for the four offices:

Select Board – 3 years — vote for two
    Alfred C. Hamilton
    Marguerite H. Landry
    David W. Parry
    Brett E. Peters
    Albena Phillipo

Southborough School Committee – 3 years — vote for two
    Zhi Li
    Chelsea Malinowski
    Johanna A. Sheyner

Planning Board – 5 years
    Lisa Braccio
    Michael Weishan

Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds – 3 years
    William Boland (incumbent)
    Sam Stivers

Unfortunately, the Trustees have been informed that two of the Select Board candidates won’t be able to participate (Parry and Phillipo). They are still working to finalize the list of candidates participating from the other races.

While I’m sharing this news, it’s a good time to point out the deadlines for preparing to vote in the election. The following details are from the Town website:

Vote by Mail
Any registered voter can request to Vote by Mail using the Secretary of State’s online registration – click here.  We must receive your application by 5pm, May 3.

Voter Registration
The last day to register to vote for this election is Wednesday May 1, 2023 at 5:00pm.
You can register to vote in person at the Town Clerk’s office or click here to register online.

Questions?
Call the Town Clerk 508.485.0710 ext 3005 or email TownClerk@southboroughma.com

[Editor’s Note to the Candidates: I welcome one letter from each candidate. (A few have already submitted theirs.) You can submit those between now and the evening of May 3rd. You can email the letters, a photo, and any questions to mysouthborough@gmail.com.]