If you’re interested in running for Town Office, you have less than two weeks to pull and return nomination papers. The deadline to pull papers is 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 21st, with voter signatures due by the following Tuesday.
I can confirm that one seat still needs a candidate. (More if you believe voters should have choices. So far, no races are brewing.)
The Board of Health’s member Dan O’Rourke’s term expires this spring. At a December meeting, he confirmed that he doesn’t plan to run for reelection. There is also potential that a second seat on the Board will open up on the ballot.* Meanwhile, no one has pulled papers for the job.
The only non-incumbent who pulled papers is running for a seat that is being vacated. Kim Tolander is throwing her hat in the ring for School Committee. But one of the two members’ whose term is ending (Jessica Devine) publicly announced that she isn’t running for re-election.
For those of you considering a run, the Town Clerk’s Town Election page notes:
- Nomination papers are currently available at the Town Clerk’s office and can be obtained until 5:00pm on March 21, 2021.
- Call (508) 485-0710 x 3005 to make an appointment to pick up the papers.
- Candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 50 Southborough registered voters. (We recommend they obtain 60 signatures.)
- Nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 5:00pm on March 23, 2021.
- Return them in the Town’s mailbox outside the Town House, or make an appointment to return them in person. Anyone can return nomination papers on behalf of a candidate.
- All candidates must file Campaign Finance paperwork. We can provide you with examples or you can get information here: Office of Campaign and Political Finance website
Below are the candidates who have pulled papers as of 5:00 pm last night. Only one (noted) has returned papers (and even he still has the option of withdrawing.)** Unless otherwise specified, each position has one seat available:
Board of Health – 3 years
No one has pulled papers
Board of Assessors – 3 years
Heath S. Widdiss
Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds – 3 years
Susan Delarda-Wood
Board of Selectmen – 3 years
Brian E. Shea
Board of Trustees Southborough Library – 3 years (vote for two)
David C. Ekberg
Kimberly L. Regan
Moderator – 1 year
Paul M. Cimino (papers filed)
NB-SB Regional School District Committee (SB Candidate) – 3 years (vote for two)
Kathleen A. Harragan
Cathy A. Kea
Planning Board – 5 years
Meme Luttrell
Southborough Housing Authority – 2 years
Robert John Braccio
Southborough School Committee – 3 years (vote for two)
Jennifer Primack
Kimberly A. Tolander
If you have questions about the responsibilities for each board, you can find information here. Since most of the boards/committees have only been meeting online, you can also view their latest meetings here.
I’ll update you if races develop. In the meantime, if you want the latest information on who has pulled papers, the Town Clerk plans to post an updated document to his dedicated election page each weekday by 5:00 pm.
*Chair of the BOH, Mary Lou Woodford indicated in December that she planned to move out of Town this spring, which would force her to step down. Since she hasn’t officially resigned, her seat is currently not listed as up for election this May. It’s possible her plans have changed or that she doesn’t intend to move until sometime after the election. I haven’t been able to get confirmation either way.
According to Town Clerk Jim Hegarty, if Woodford submits a resignation prior to March 23rd, her seat will be on the ballot. After that, it would be up to a joint meeting of the BOH and Board of Selectmen to appoint an interim replacement. (If her seat is added to the ballot, it would be for a 1 year term since her term expires in 2022.)
**Technically, all candidates have until April 8th to withdraw their names in time to not appear on the May 11th ballot. (Though, in the time I’ve been covering the election, I don’t recall any candidates withdrawing between the filing deadline and the withdrawal deadline. Some have done so before the first deadline, and one after.)
