By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The annual Town Election on Tuesday, May 6 will feature 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.
A decision on whether this election cycle will feature an Early Voting option has not been made yet by the Select Board. According the Town Clerk’s office, that decision is slated to come up at next Monday’s Select Board meeting at Town Hall. The state gives cities and towns the option of whether local elections will be held only on the traditional Election Day or with an Early Voting option.
VOTER REGISTRATON
The last day residents of North Reading can register to vote to cast a ballot in the Town Election is Saturday, April 26. The Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day to process any walk-in voter registrations. Voters also have the option to go to the secretary of commonwealth’s website to check their voter status and register online before midnight on the deadline day.
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.