By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The list of potential candidates seeking to local elective offices in the town’s annual election on Tuesday, May 6 continues to grow.
As of press time, three more candidates had pulled nomination papers at the Town Clerk’s Office announcing their intention to seek various offices, bringing the number of potential office seekers to nine.
• Longtime Community Planning Commission member Warren Pearce, 219 Haverhill St., is running for a three-year term on the CPC.
• Incumbent School Committee member Noelle Rudloff, 29 Duane Drive, is seeking her second three-year term on the school board.
• Political newcomer Catherine Morrin, 29 Park St., announced her intention to seek a three-year term on the Select Board.
These three candidates join six others who have pulled papers in the past few weeks. They are:
• Incumbent Select Board member Richard Wallner, 57 Lakeside Blvd. (3-year term, Select Board);
• Incumbent School Committee member Jeffrey Friedman, 51 Lindor Rd., (3-year term, School Committee)
• Incumbent Town Moderator John J. Murphy (1-year term ,Town Moderator)
• First time Select Board office seeker Michael Scarlata, 240 Martins Landing, U102, (3-year term, Select Board)
• First time Select Board office seeker Jeffrey Griffin, 31 Abbott Road (3-year term, Select Board). Griffin will finish his first term as a member of the Community Planning Commission in May.
• Incumbent interim Community Planning Commission (CPC) member Edward Sheehan, 5 Brassie Way (2-year term, CPC). Sheehan is running for the remaining two-year term on the seat formerly held by Ryan Carroll, who moved from town.
Rules for running for elective office
All candidates must submit nomination papers for all town elective offices by Tuesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. for certification of signatures by the Town Clerk’s Office (MGL c53, §7). At least 50 certified town-wide signatures are required. Town Clerk Susan Duplin recommends that all candidates obtain more than 50 signatures in case some of those signatures are not certifiable.
Other important dates in the election season include the deadline for a candidate to file a withdrawal from inclusion on the ballot or for anyone to file objections to nomination papers filed with the Town Clerk’s Office, which is Thursday, April 3 at 5 p.m. (MGL c53, §11).
Additionally, the deadline to register to vote in the Tuesday, May 6 Town Election is Saturday, April 26 at 5 p.m. (MGL c39, §10). The Town Clerk’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on deadline day, per state law, or voters may check their status and register to vote online via the state’s website at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/ by the deadline.
2025 TOWN ELECTIVE OFFICES
The elective offices on the May 6 Town Election ballot are:
• Town Moderator, 1-year term – vote for one. (Incumbent is John Murphy.)
• Select Board, 3-year term – vote for two. (Incumbents are Liane Gonzalez and Richard Wallner.)
• School Committee, 3-year term – vote for two. (Incumbents are Jeffrey Friedman and Noelle Rudloff.)
• Community Planning Commission (CPC), 3-year term – vote for two. (Incumbents are David Rudloff and Warren Pearce.)
• Community Planning Commission (CPC), 2-year term – vote for one (to fill a vacancy created after Ryan Carroll moved from town last fall.)
• Housing Authority, 5-year term – vote for one. (Incumbent is Michele Mawn.)
Those with any questions about any aspect of the Town Election may contact the Town Clerk’s Office for more information at www.northreadingma.gov/town-clerk/pages/voting-elections or call 978-357-5230.