I promised to keep readers apprised of news on who is/isn’t running on in the Town election this May. Today, I learned that there will be a change on another important board this spring. Plus, I’m highlighting a potential vacancy on another.
Before getting into the latest developments — I’ll stress that there is still time to plan your own run for office. But, that time is starting to run out. The deadline to pull papers is Monday, March 24th. The deadline to file papers with enough signatures is Tuesday, March 25th.1
Again, it’s worth pointing out that this election is likely to have a much bigger turnout than usual this year due to the Neary Building project question that will be on the ballot. (Read more about that here.)
Now, here’s the latest news on who is/isn’t running this spring. . .
This morning, I emailed members of boards/committees whose terms expire this spring but who have yet to pull papers.
One of those was Planning Board Vice Chair, Jesse Stein. Stein replied that he decided he won’t seek another term. He wrote:
I am grateful to my fellow residents, board members and the town Planning team for the pleasure of serving on the board the past 11 years.
Meanwhile, a former candidate may take another run at serving on the board. Alan Belniak who unsuccessfully ran for the office in 2022, then ran a last minute write-in campaign last year.
One office that notably no one has pulled papers to run for yet is the one-year seat on the School Committee.
As I previously covered, Kamali O’Meally had indicated that she didn’t plan to run when she volunteered to be appointed to the vacated seat. The Committee had voiced part of their rationale for selecting her was to avoid giving anyone an incumbent advantage in a race this spring. But so far, no one has taken the official first step to run for it.2
The one other seat on the ballot that no one has pulled papers for yet is on the Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds (including the incumbent Nicolas McCoy).3
As for a race I previously posted was brewing. . . while three people pulled papers for the two Select Board seats, only two have filed papers to date. Chair Kathy Cook and fellow member Sam Stivers made their runs for re-election official. The potential challenger Tim Fling has yet to file. That means it’s possible the incumbents will run unopposed this year. Stay tuned for any news on that front.
If you want a reminder of all the seats on the upcoming ballot, and who is currently serving in them, click here. If you have questions about the responsibilities for each board, you can find information here. For many of the boards/committees, you can also view/stream their recent meetings. (For details on viewing options, see my notes at the bottom of my regular Week in Government posts.)
As always, I’ll continue updating readers if races heat up or if it appears we’re in real danger of ending up with a vacancy on the ballot. In the meantime, if you want to keep tabs on who has pulled or filed papers you can look to see if there is an update on the Town Clerk’s election page here.
For readers just interested in voting, make sure you’re registered by May 5th. (Though, if you want to vote in Annual and/or Special Town Meetings this spring, do it sooner.) And save the date to vote on May 13th between 6:30 am – 8:00 pm at Trottier Middle School. (Or apply far enough in advance to vote by mail.)
- Based on the formula, until the next Gubernatorial election, the minimum number of registered Southborough voters’ signatures required is technically 48. But the Town Clerk’s office always advises to get at least 60, in case there is an issue with any names/addresses not matching the registration list.
- Roger Challen has pulled papers, but that is to run for re-election for the 3-year seat he currently occupies on the School Committee.
- If I get a definitive answer from McCoy on his plans, I’ll update this post to clarify the status of the Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds.
