Posted on Thursday: March 8, 2018

This story has been updated from the print edition.

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — With just 12 days remaining until the deadline to file nominations papers for the annual town election on May 8, two seats could go unfilled.

As of press time no new candidates had stepped forward to pull nomination papers in the past week and no papers were returned to the Town Clerk’ office for certification.

The open seats are one three-year term on the School Committee and one five-year term on the Housing Authority.

Incumbent Selectman Steve O’Leary is the first declared candidate to have returned his nomination papers (after press time Wednesday).

Declared candidates who haven’t yet returned their nomination papers signed by a minimum of 50 North Reading registered voters are as follows:

Selectman – Incumbent Kathryn Manupelli;

Community Planning Commission – William Bellavance, incumbent chairman, and Neal E. Rooney III, who previously served from 1998 to 2014.

Choosing not to run is incumbent Joe Veno;

School Committee – Richard F. McGowan, a member of the NRHS Council and newcomer to town-wide elective office;

Incumbents Jerry Venezia and Julie Koepke have both announced they will be stepping down at the end of their respective terms in May, leaving at least one three-year term potentially vacant.

Town Moderator – incumbent John J. Murphy, seeking 14th one-year term;

Housing Authority – No candidate for one five-year term. Incumbent Joe Veno will be stepping down in May after 10 years.

Deadlines set

Tuesday, March 20 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for all candidates to return their nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s office for certification of a minimum of 50 signatures of North Reading voters to ensure their name gets on the ballot.

Once a candidate is certified as eligible to run for an elective office, the last day that candidate can choose to withdraw his or her name from the ballot is Thursday, April 5 at 5 p.m. The Town Clerk’s office will remain open an extra hour on both deadline days, per state law, Town Clerk Barbara Stats stated.

The last day a resident of the town can register to vote to participate in the May 8 election is Wednesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. The Town Clerk’s office will be open an extra four hours that night to accommodate voters, as mandated by state law, Stats said. She added early voting is not available for any local elections in the state.

Candidates for any municipal office are required to file campaign finance reports on specific dates per the provisions of Mass. General Law Chapter 55. Those with questions about this process may contact the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance for assistance by phone: 617-727-8352, email: ocpf@cpf.state.ma.us or visit the website at www.mass.gov/ocpf.

For additional assistance the public may also call the Town Clerk’s office at 978-357-5218.