If you’re interested in running for Town Office, the window opened this week to pull nomination papers. (And several incumbents already have.)
The deadline to pull papers is four weeks from today. The filing deadline is four days later (March 21st at 5:00 pm).
This year, the following seats will be up for grabs in the May election. (Unless otherwise specified, each have one seat available):
- Assabet Valley Regional Vocational District School Committee – 1 year term
- Board of Assessors – 3 year term
- Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds – 3 year term
- Board of Health – 3 year term
- Board of Trustees Southborough Library – vote for two – 3 year term
- Moderator – 1 year term
- Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee – Southborough candidate – 3 year term*
- Planning Board – 5 year term
- Select Board – vote for two – 3 year term
- Southborough School Committee – vote for two – 3 year term
- Southborough School Committee – 1 year term
- Town Clerk – 3 year term
You may have noticed that there are multiple listings above for the Southborough School Committee. In addition to the regular seats, there is a one year opening on the committee.
Back in December, the committee appointed former member Jessica Devine to temporarily fill the opening created by Kim Tolander’s death. One of the main reasons Devine was chosen was her assurance that she wouldn’t run in the next election. (Read more here.)
I reached out to all of the other candidates whose terms were expiring. No one else has announced that they won’t be running. A handful (who have also already pulled papers) confirmed plans to run. (Additional incumbents have also pulled papers. But officials have been known to take the initial step while still mulling their decision.)
As always, I’ll update you if races start to brew or if it appears we’re in danger of ending up with a vacancy.
In the meantime, if you want to keep tabs on who has pulled or filed papers you can look for the list, updated daily. You can find a link on the Town’s dedicated election page.
Anyone planning a run will want to give themselves time to collect 48-60 signatures from people registered to vote in Southborough.**
For readers just interested in voting, make sure you’re registered by 5:00 pm on May 1st. And save the date to vote on May 9th between 6:30 am – 8:00 pm at Trottier Middle School. (Or apply far enough in advance to vote by mail.)
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 post.)
*There’s also a Northborough seat available on the Regional School Committee, but obviously Southborough residents can’t run for that.
**Based on the formula, until the next Gubernatorial election, the minimum number of signatures is 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 Southborough’s registered voter list.
