Published January 30, 2020

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — Two more residents have announced their candidacy in the 2020 annual town election.

Incumbent Community Planning Commission (CPC) member Christopher Hayden and political newcomer Vincenzo Stuto, who is seeking a seat on the Select Board, both pulled nomination papers last week. They join incumbent School Committee Chairman Scott Buckley as the three announced candidates.

Nomination papers became available at the Town Clerk’s office on January 22 and must be returned by St. Patrick’s Day (that’s Tuesday, March 17) by 5 p.m. with the signatures of at least 50 eligible North Reading voters before a candidate is officially on the ballot for the May 5 election.

In this year’s election, only one seat on each of four boards is up for renewal plus the town moderator’s seat, which is an annual election.

The remaining races are a five-year term on the Housing Authority, which is a seat currently held by Mary Prenney who is also the town’s Director of Elder Affairs, and the Town Moderator’s position, held by incumbent John Murphy.

CPC

Hayden was first elected to a one-year unexpired term on the CPC in May of 1998 and was elected to his first full three-year term the following year. When his current term expires in May he will have served 22 years on the board. If re-elected it would be his eighth consecutive three-year team.

Hayden has held leadership positions on the board numerous times throughout his tenure as chairman or vice chairman and has served on the board during two of the busiest decades in terms of growth in the town’s history.

Select Board

Incumbent Select Board member Andrew Schultz previously announced that he will not be seeking a second term this May which leaves the seat unchallenged for Stuto. He is currently a member of the Finance Committee, a position to which he was appointed in October 2019 to fill the unexpired term of Joe Foti. Stuto’s term on the FinCom will expire at the conclusion of the June 2020 annual Town Meeting. He is also a member of Defend Ipswich River Communities (DIRC), formed by a group of residents opposed to the 20 Elm St. Chapter 40B project.

Running for a seat on the Select Board is Stuto’s first race for an elected position.

“I moved to North Reading with my wife and son two years ago; we now have a second son, born last year. I have observed that I am among a growing number of young families looking to raise their children in North Reading; a close knit community with great schools, beautiful public spaces and extraordinary police and fire teams,” Stuto said in a statement after being contacted by the Transcript Monday night seeking comment on his campaign.

“I believe running for Selectman is an opportunity for me to represent the voice of this growing demographic on the Select Board. North Reading is on an upward trajectory and my goal would be to ensure that the town continues to thrive now and in the future,” Stuto added.

Professionally, Stuto has worked in the financial field for 16 years.

“I am currently Managing Partner and Chief Compliance Officer of a registered investment advisory firm in Woburn called Alta Wealth Advisors. My background gives me the skill set necessary to help advise the town in some of the complex financial decisions that need to be made in the coming years,” he stated.

“I believe that the cornerstone of a town’s future development is the strength of its finances and prudent management of its assets. The primary reason I became involved with the Finance Committee was to help better understand the existing process so I could be of service in some way. Although I have only been on the committee for a short while, it has given me a deep insight into town finances as well as the budgeting process in general,” Stuto said.

Election Day: May 5

The basics: Election Day is Tuesday, May 5 and the deadline for candidates to return their nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s office is Tuesday, March 17 at 5 p.m. The Town Clerk’s office will remain open an extra hour on the deadline day to accept the nomination papers.

All candidates are required to obtain a minimum of 50 signatures from town residents who are registered to vote in the town of North Reading to be eligible to be included on the ballot. Therefore, Town Clerk Barbara Stats advises candidates to submit more than the minimum number of signatures required because her office is unable to certify signatures that are “duplications, illegible or ineligible.”

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 2 at 5 p.m.

Register to vote

The last day a resident of the town can register to vote to participate in the May 5 annual town election is Wednesday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

Elective offices for 2020

Five seats on four boards plus the town moderator’s seat are up for election this year. This is the year that only one position on each board is up for renewal. The names of incumbents are listed in parentheses.

• One seat for a three-year term on the Select Board (Andrew Schultz);

• One seat for a one-year term for Town Moderator (John Murphy);

• One seat for a three-year term on the School Committee (Scott Buckley);

• One seat for a three-year term on the Community Planning Commission (Christopher Hayden);

• One seat for a five-year term on the Housing Authority (Mary Prenney).

Candidates for any municipal office are required to file campaign finance reports on specific dates per the provisions of Mass. General Laws 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.