With the nomination process for this year’s town election in the books, two significant boards will see uncontested races for a seat on June 11.
According to the candidate list provided by the town clerk’s office, current School Committee member Al Williams is the only candidate running for the open seat on the committee. Williams took over for Meagan Taylor earlier this year after she resigned from the committee in January.
Board of Health member Joanne Miller’s seat is the lone position up for election on the board, however Miller’s name is not on the ballot. Thomas Massaro is the sole candidate running.
Elsewhere on the ballot, voters will noticeably not see longtime Select Board member Jim Nye’s name. After 19 years on the board, Nye has decided not to run for reelection. That means there will be at least one newcomer to the board with six candidates running for five available seats: Daniel Fox, Alexa Singer, Dan Albert, Moses Grader, Bret Murray, and Erin Noonan.
This will mark the first election since the town’s adoption of three-year Select Board terms, passed at Town Meeting in 2023 and signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey earlier this year. In order to be able to implement the transition properly, the highest and second-highest vote-getters will receive three-year terms, and the third-highest vote-getter will be given a two-year term. The fourth- and fifth-highest vote-getters will receive a two-year and one-year term, respectively.
Proponents of the change have argued that the longer terms will allow for members to focus less on campaigning year round and spend more time focusing on projects and issues in town. An article seeking to revert the term lengths back to one year was brought forth to Town Meeting last week, however it was voted down by residents.
Only two other committees will see contested races this year. For the Recreation and Parks Commission, Richard Jordan, Karin Ernst, Matthew Cory Martin, Rossana Ferrante, Shelly Curran Bedrossian, and Linda A. Rice-Collins are all running for five available seats. Ernst, Martin, Ferrante, Bedrossian, and Rice-Collins are all incumbents.
For the Marblehead Housing Authority, Kristin Elizabeth duBay Horton will be running against Laura Gallant for one available seat. Gallant tried to withdraw her name from the running, but did so a day after the May withdrawal date
Other uncontested races this year include the Abbot Library Board of Trustees, Municipal Light Commission, Planning Board, Water and Sewer Commission, town moderator, assessor, and Cemetery Commission.