Above: The official list is out. Take a look at who is running in the Town Election (barring withdrawal). (Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.)
Yesterday was the filing deadline for this May’s Town election. Twenty residents filed papers to run for twelve offices. But only eight of them are in competition (with one in two races).
This election will see three candidates vying for Town Clerk. It’s a position that until last month was held by Paul Berry for 43 years.
This winter, selectmen opted to promote Assistant Town Clerk, Michelle Jenkins to the interim spot. The decision was made in part to not give a leg-up to anyone else in the race. (Jenkins is not a resident, and therefore not eligible to run.)
Candidates now seeking the spot include Board of Selectmen Chair Bill Boland. He will also be fighting to keep his spot on the board.
Other candidates for Town Clerk are Jim Hegarty from the Advisory Committee and Dorianne Jasinski, Chair of the Southborough Scholarship Committee.
Competing with Boland for his BOS seat are Desiree Aselbekian, along with two last minute candidates: Raymond Hokinson and Brian Shea. Aselbekian is currently Chair of the Public Works Planning Board. Shea chairs the Advisory Committee and serves on the Main Street Working Group.
Two residents are also competing for a seat on the Board of Health: Daniel O’Rourke and Rosemarie Mauro.
Other candidates are running uncontested, with the same number of seats as the residents running. The candidates have until April 8 to pull their names from the ballot.
Here’s the full list:
Town Clerk – vote for one – 2 year term
James F. Hegarty, 14 Maplecrest Drive
William J. Boland, 35 East Main Street
Doriann M. Jasinski, 33 Presidential Drive
Moderator – vote for one – 1 year term
David A. Coombs, 61 Deerfoot Road (candidate for re-election)
Board of Selectmen – vote for one – 3 year term
William J. Boland, 35 East Main Street (candidate for re-election)
Desiree Aselbekian, 137 Woodland Road
Raymond D. Hokinson, 10 Main Street
Brian E. Shea, 17 Pinecone Lane
Board of Assessors – vote for one – 3 year term
Arthur K. Holmes, 73 Oak Hill Road (candidate for re-election)
Board of Assessors – vote for one – 1 year term
Jeffrey W. Klein, 237 Parkerville Road
Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds – vote for one – 3 year term
John H. Wilson, 4 Middle Road
Board of Health – vote for one – 3 year term
Daniel P. O’Rourke, 5 Ledge Hill Road
Rosemarie P. Mauro, 6 Winchester Street
Board of Trustees – Southborough Library – vote for two – 3 year term
Nicole C. DeBonet, 5 Sadie Hutt Lane (candidate for re-election)
Terrence K. Ryan, Jr., 9 Whistler Lane
School Committee (K-8) – vote for two – 3 year term
Gerald V. Capra, 6 Strawberry Hill Road (candidate for re-election)
Marybeth R. Strickland, 5 Stockwell Lane (candidate for re-election)
Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee – vote for two – 3 year term
Kathleen A. Harragan, 28 Darlene Drive (candidate for re-election)
Cathy A. Kea, 1 Ashley Road
Planning Board – vote for one – 5 year term
Jesse T. Stein, 6 MacNeill Drive
Southborough Housing Authority – vote for one – 5 year term
Robert P. Jachowicz, 7 Prentiss Street
Library Trustees will be holding their annual Candidates’ Night at the Library on Wednesday, April 29. All candidates (and the public, of course) are invited to come and chit chat during a 30-minute meet and greet from 6:30 to 7. Starting at 7, candidates in contested races will be able to make statements, followed by questions from the audience. Formal invitations will be mailed to candidates soon, but I am hoping they will save the date now. Southborough Media Access will be videotaping the event. Thank you!
Is it fair to ask in these forums if a person is liberal or conservative?
I believe what questions are fair game will be determined by the moderator. So, I can’t answer that. You can certainly ask.
But I would urge you to care more about qualifications and positions related to the seat, and not their political affiliations.
I guess the question would be – how does that relate to the job they are running for? If you are concerned about how they would lean on specific issues, it seems risky to assume that a label covers that.
Someone may associate themselves liberal or conservative – but not have the same stance on an issue as you assume that means. So, I would think asking about the specific issues you care about is more appropriate.
(For instance – Does it really matter if the Town Clerk is democrat or republican? How does that effect you? But the candidate’s philosophy on transparency in government is applicable.)
Excellent response, Beth. I’ve not, in all my years, heard anyone suggest that these labels would help delineate a candidate in our town election. In fact, one of the great things about town government Southboorough-style, is that the candidates are here among us.. we don’t need some way to classify them other than what we can hear and read about them–or call them up! I’ve known when some officials were active in one of the national parties, but never saw them feel their opinions and votes were determined by that affiliation.
It would be such a relief to get away from the stereotyping and gossip and instead get acquainted with a real live person!
Are absentee ballots valid for this election? How does one go about doing that, deadlines?
Have you already decided who you’re voting for? The ballots aren’t even printed yet!
It’s a good question. According to interim Town Clerk Michelle Jenkins, the absentee ballots should become available the week of April 13th. (They will definitely be in by 4/21 which is her deadline for receiving the regular ballots.)
From there, they are available through noon on Friday, May 8th.