Above: Don’t forget, you can apply today to vote early by mail for the Town election.
I learned yesterday that one of the write-in positions on the Town election ballot is contested. So, it’s time for an update on the June 16th election.
Earlier in the election season, I wrote that there was only one race on the ballot. That referred to the 3-way race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen.
In early May, I updated that there’s a second race made up of Northborough residents on our ballot. There are three running for two seats on the Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee. Initially, I noted that none of the candidates had posted information on their campaign. That has since changed.
I had also noted that Southborough’s designee on the Assabet Regional School Committee was asking for write-in votes. Yesterday, a second write-in candidate reached out.
- Mark Pietrewicz is currently serving as Southborough’s representative. He was appointed last spring to fill the vacancy. He didn’t make the write-in deadline but publicly shared his hope to continue in the post.
- Dan Butka has now launched a campaign to compete for the seat.
(I will be posting Butka’s letter later today and invited Pietrewicz to submit one as well.)
As for the Northborough position on the Regional School Committee (for Algonquin), three candidates are running for two seats. But only two of those candidates are campaigning for the seat in the traditional sense. The links below lead to the candidates’ statements in The Northborough Guide:
- Sean O’Shea was appointed to fill a vacancy last year
- Christopher Covino also ran last year and is running again this spring
- Thomas Dalton is also on the ballot for a seat and 3 other seats on Northborough’s ballot (Moderator, Selectman, and Planning Board). But the only candidate’s statement he posted makes no mention of the election, any of the positions, responsibilities, or experience. Instead, it is a religious assertion apparently about the pandemic and a divine plan.
[Editor’s Note: I don’t normally endorse candidates. In fact, I usually think of these seat as being ones that Northborough residents should have the most say on. In this unusual instance, I’m making an exception to endorse Sean O’Shea and Christopher Covino.
Dalton is free to publicly share his religious beliefs. But if you want voters to support you for the school committee or another serious position, it would make sense to tell them why you are qualified, and/or what you hope to achieve.]
If you missed who is running for the Board of Selectmen, the following candidates are running for the two seats. Links below are to the candidates’ statements they previously submitted for MySouthborough readers:
- Lisa Braccio (incumbent)
- Peter W. LaPine
- Chelsea Marie Malinowski
For the full list of everyone else running in this election, view the sample ballot here.
As I’ve previously posted, applications are already available for early ballots. Every registered Southborough voter is eligible to apply to vote by mail. But that means applying soon.
To access the application for the early ballot, click here . The form notes:
Although the deadline to apply for a ballot to be mailed is 12noon on the day before an election, you must allow enough time for this application to be processed, sent to you via the US Mail, and be returned. Allow at least 10 days!
Ballots must be returned to the Town House (not the polling location) by the close of the polls on election day.
Applications can also be mailed or dropped in the green mail box outside of Town House – 17 Common Street.
If you do plan to wait to vote in person, you should note that the hours are reduced this year and the school entrance has changed. The election will be held on Tuesday, June 16 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Trottier Band Room. Voters will enter through the school’s front door. (You can read more about that here.)
