Tap link below to view 2025 Town of North Reading Election Results.
CHART of 5-6-25_town_election_unofficial_results-FINAL.
Published May 8, 2025
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — A Town Election featuring two hotly contested races drew 23 percent of the town’s nearly 13,000 voters to the polls on a rainy Election Day Tuesday.
The voters ultimately reelected incumbent Rich Wallner to a third term on the Select Board. He topped the ticket in the four-way race for two seats with 1,720 votes.
The other Select Board seat, formerly held by Liane Gonzalez who chose not to run for a third term, was won by newcomer Catherine Morrin. She earned 1,703 votes. Fellow challengers Michael Scarlata (1,132 votes) and Jeff Griffin (1,108 votes) finished third and fourth, respectively.
In the race for the two-year seat on the Community Planning Commission, the voters chose newcomer Jonathon Coste (1,565 votes) over incumbent Edward Sheehan (1,028) votes. This seat will fill out the remainder of the term previously held by Ryan Carroll who moved from town a few months after winning reelection last year. Sheehan was appointed in November by a joint vote of the CPC and the Select Board from a field of four candidates to serve in the role until this election.
Wallner and Morrin ran as a team for the two seats and shared a co-bill on their lawn signs and advertising campaigns.
Wallner was very excited about his victory. “It feels good. I am just real excited about doing more,” Wallner told the Transcript. “I really want to do more for the town. That’s what I’ve always done and that’s what I plan to do.”
Asked how it felt to win her first political race, Morrin told the Transcript: “It feels a bit overwhelming at the moment. Obviously, one hopes to win and deliver good on the promises made. We are going to regroup tomorrow as a team and figure out what’s next.”
The Select Board held its reorganization meeting on Wednesday afternoon (after press time).
“Even though I came in third, I had the greatest opportunity to meet literally hundreds of residents of North Reading, face to face, one on one. I gave them my thoughts and ideas; they offered their thoughts and concerns. I had great conversations along the way. I wouldn’t change anything,” reflected Scarlata on his campaign efforts that began in March during a door-knocking campaign throughout town. “My opponents did a better job of getting out their supporters and the results show it. I wish Rich and Catherine the best of luck and I root for their success and wish them well,” he said.
Griffin will continue to serve the town in his role as a member of the Community Planning Commission. He is entering the third year of his first three-year term on the planning board.
Sheehan said he enjoyed the time he spent serving on the CPC these past few months. “The voters decided to go a different way,” he said, “and I wish (Coste) the best.”
Coste said he was a lot more nervous on Election Day about the election than he thought he’d be. “I think it turned out well,” he said, adding he is looking forward to getting to work and rearranging his schedule as a pilot to attend the board’s Tuesday night meetings.
In the uncontested races, John Murphy was reelected to his 21st consecutive one-year term as Town Moderator with 2,111 votes; Chuck Carucci received 2,129 votes to serve a five-year term on the Housing Authority; incumbent School Committee members Jeff Friedman (2,018 votes) and Noelle Rudloff (2,022 votes) were both reelected to their second three-year terms; and incumbent Community Planning Commissioners Warren Pearce Jr. (2,073) and David Rudloff (1,923) both retained their three-year seats on the board. It marks the 12th consecutive three-year term for Pearce and the third term for Rudloff.