Residents interested in running for local office in the March 29 town election are now free to pull nomination papers, and the deadline for doing so is Wednesday, Feb. 1. The deadline to file those papers with the requisite 33 resident signatures is Friday, Feb. 3. Citizens’ petitions for the Annual Town Meeting two days before the election must be filed by the end of this month.
As of January 6, two incumbents have publicly stated that they are not running for reelection: Jonathan Dwyer (Select Board) and Michelle Barnes (Water Commission). School Building Committee vice chair Kim Bodnar has announced her candidacy for Select Board.
The Water Commission will have two openings in March. Matthew Bio has been appointed to fill the remainder of the term of Ruth Ann Hendrickson, who recently resigned, and he has said he plans to run for a full term. Patrick “Packy” Lawler, who was on the commission from 2013-2019, said on January 5 that he was “90% sure” he would also run for one of the open seats.
The deadline for submitting citizens’ petitions for the March 25 Annual Town Meeting is Monday, Jan. 30 at noon. Citizens who may be considering sponsoring a Town Meeting petition are strongly urged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office (781-259-2607 or foxv@lincolntown.org) for guidance about the process. The office will contact those identified as lead petitioners to ensure coordination to prepare for the discussions and presentations that will occur in advance of Town Meeting.
This table listing the status of some of the incumbents is current as of January 9, 2023:
| Board or Committee | Openings/terms | Incumbent(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Assessors | One (three years) | Ellen Meadors |
| Board of Health | One (three years) | Frederick L. Mansfield |
| Board of Selectmen | One (three years) | Jonathan Dwyer (not running again) |
| Cemetery Commission | One (three years) | Manley Boyce |
| Commissioners of Trust Funds | One (three years) | D. Paul Fitzgerald |
| Housing Commission | Two (three years each) | Victoria Benalfew (not running again), Rakesh Kharmacharya (recently resigned) |
| Moderator | One (three years) | Sarah Cannon Holden |
| Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee | Two (three years each) | Candace Miller Harold Engstrom |
| Parks and Recreation Committee | One (three years) | Robert Stringer |
| Planning Board | Two (three years each) | Lynn DeLisi, Robert Domnitz |
| School Committee | Two (three years each) | Tara Lynn Mitchell (not running again), Adam Hogue |
| Trustees of Bemis | One (three years) | Heather Ring |
| Water Commission | Three (one for three years, one for two years, one for one year) | Michelle Barnes (not running again), Matthew Bio (interim, running for full term) Steve Gladstone (interim, running for full term) |
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