By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The annual Town Election is next Tuesday, May 2 which features two contested races for Select Board and Community Planning Commission.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and voters from all four precincts cast their ballots in the church hall at St. Theresa’s, 51 Winter St. (enter from the westerly side of the parking lot closest to Kitty’s and drive around the rear of the building to park in the rear lot or the easterly lot. Additional accessible parking spots will be clearly marked)
In this election cycle, the race for the available seat on the five-member Select Board is between incumbent Vice Chair Vincenzo Stuto, who is seeking his second three-year term, and Jack Carroll, a political newcomer and 2022 graduate of North Reading High School.
For the five-member Community Planning Commission (CPC), the race is between incumbent Chair Christopher Hayden, a veteran member of the board since 1998, and Jeffrey Griffin, also a political newcomer and a local business owner.
The lone seat up for renewal on the five-member School Committee is uncontested and is held by incumbent Chair Scott Buckley who is seeking his third consecutive three-year term.
Also up for re-election is incumbent Town Moderator John J. Murphy, a position he had held for 18 years. This is the only one-year term on the town ballot and Murphy is running unopposed.
As has been the tradition at the Transcript, for the 66th consecutive year, the newspaper has invited all candidates to submit candidates’ statements about themselves to be printed in the edition prior to the election. Readers will find the statements and photos of five candidates published inside today’s newspaper. Murphy chose not to submit one this year.
Over 12,000 voters in town
There are over 12,000 people registered to vote in town. In fact, as of press time, there were 12,049 according to Town Clerk Susan Duplin. Anyone who had registered in person by 5 p.m. last Saturday, April 22 or online by 11:59 p.m. on that date is eligible to vote in this town election. Duplin’s staff continues to review and certify those registrations they receive from the secretary of state’s office as they arrive.
While there is no early in-person voting taking place for the local election, those who applied for an absentee ballot are allowed to vote at the counter of the Town Clerk’s Office until noon on Monday, May 1, or they may fill it out and drop it off in the red, white and blue striped ballot drop-off box outside Town Hall, 235 North St. by noon on Monday. Do not bring it to the polls on Tuesday.
