By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The Select Board on Monday night voted unanimously to both approve the annual Town Election warrant and authorize Early In-Person Voting for the election.
The state gives cities and towns the option of whether local elections will be held only on the traditional Election Day or be combined with an Early Voting option.
According to Town Clerk Susan Duplin, there is an added expense as the state only reimburses the wages of staff members who work outside of the regular business hours of the department. She schedules three poll workers for each Early Voting session, which are held in the gym at Town Hall. They are required to be open during regular business hours plus offer a weekend option and a few night sessions for those who cannot get there during daytime hours.
Early Voting will be offered from Saturday, April 26 through Friday, May 2.
Since Saturday, April 26 is the last day residents can register to vote in this election and the Town Clerk’s office is required by the state to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to receive in-person voter registration requests, it makes sense to have the start of Early Voting coincide with voter registration day. On Monday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 30, Early Voting is available from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. On Tuesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1, extended evening Early Voting hours will be held, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On the last day of Early Voting, Friday, May 2, the polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The polls will be open on Election Day — which is Tuesday, May 6 — from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town’s centralized polling location in the church hall at St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter St.
Voters can also request a vote by mail ballot either in person or online by visiting the town clerk’s webpage at northreadingma.gov. by the fifth business day prior to the election.
Lastly, voters can also apply for a traditional absentee ballot and vote at the counter of the Town Clerk’s office by the deadline of noon on Monday, May 5.
Contested races
The election features two contested races for Select Board and the two-year seat on the Community Planning Commission.
There is a four-way race for two seats on the Select Board, with incumbent Select Board member Richard Wallner seeking reelection to his seat. The challengers are Jeffrey Griffin, Catherine Morrin and Michael Scarlata. Both seats are for three-year terms. Incumbent Select Board member Liane Gonzalez did not seek reelection.
For the two-year seat on the Community Planning Commission (CPC), the race will be between Edward Sheehan and Jonathan Coste.
Sheehan is the interim appointee selected jointly by the CPC and the Select Board to cover the last few months of the seat formerly held by Ryan Carroll, who moved from town last fall. That appointment lasts only until Election Day. Both Sheehan and Coste are running to fill what would have been the remaining two years on Carroll’s seat.
Also on the ballot for the CPC will be two incumbents seeking reelection to their three-year seats, David Rudloff, the current chairman, and Warren Pearce Jr.
Griffin is a sitting member of the CPC with one year remaining on his term. If he is elected to the Select Board he would have to step down from the CPC.
Subsequently, a joint meeting would be held by the CPC and the Select Board to appoint someone to finish the last year of Griffin’s term.
The Town Election also features several uncontested races. The incumbents on the School Committee are not being challenged. They are Jeffrey Friedman and Noelle Rudloff, both running for three-year terms.
Town Moderator John Murphy is seeking reelection to this one-year seat which he has maintained for the past 20 years.
For the Housing Authority, Charles Carucci will be running for the five-year term unopposed. Incumbent Michele Mawn did not seek reelection.
Candidates’ Statements
As has been the tradition at the Transcript, for the 68th consecutive year, the newspaper is inviting all candidates to submit candidates’ statements about themselves to be printed in the edition prior to the election, which will be on Thursday, May 1.
All candidates are welcome to submit such a statement, whether or not you have an opponent. Consider it your opportunity to speak to the voters directly about your vision for the office you seek, your accomplishments and the skills you bring to table. Statements should be emailed to: NorthReadingNews@WakefieldItem.com no later than Wednesday, April 23 at 3 p.m. for inclusion in the May 1 edition. Candidates are also welcome to submit a headshot photograph of themselves to accompany their statements in .jpg format.
Lastly, we will not be publishing endorsement letters to the editor in the May 1 edition in order to give the candidates the last word about their respective campaigns through the publication of their candidate’s statements.