Published in the February 24, 2016 edition

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The April 11 town election will be headlined by a race for an open selectmen’s seat for the second straight year.

Planning Board member Richard “Dick” Dalton and Housing Authority member Michael Walsh are the two candidates vying to succeed Selectman Tom Terranova. The two candidates are looking to serve a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen.

Dalton pulled nomination papers the first day they became available on Jan. 4 and had them certified by Town Clerk Trudy Reid recently. Walsh pulled nomination papers on Feb. 19 and had them certified on Monday.

Terranova never publicly announced whether or not he would be seeking a second term on the board. A Villager reporter approached Terranova about his decision at the conclusion of Monday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, but Terranova declined commenting on his decision.

Dalton was appointed to the Planning Board in a joint meeting held by the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board in November. He was appointed to the board to replace former Planning Board member Randall Crompton, who stepped down last fall. He previously served on the Planning Board before he temporarily relocated to Seattle, Washington to work for restaurant operator Madison Holdings.

Dalton provided this statement to the Villager:

“The decision to become a candidate for election to the Board of Selectmen was one that I considered for months prior to my announcement in early January. After obtaining the support of my family, I approached numerous individuals within the community to seek their counsel. I have been humbled by the support expressed by so many of my friends and neighbors.

“I am confident that my extensive experience in Lynnfield town government and my accomplishments in the private sector make me a solid candidate for this position. I have the skills to effectively meet the challenges facing the board, the time to adequately address town issues, and the desire to better our community for all.

“Lynnfield has been good to me and to my family. In my 30 years here, I have given back to the community, as my record demonstrates. I have proudly served on the Personnel Board, Capital Improvement Committees and the Planning Board, of which I am a current member. Notably, my tenure on the Planning Board occurred while a significant number of subdivisions and the MarketStreet development were proposed. Specifically, I was the Planning Board’s liaison with the Board of Selectmen and other town boards and departments as MarketStreet progressed through the approval process.

“In the private sector, I am an experienced executive with a strong financial and operational background. Having managed a company with 3,500 employees and a budget three times the size of Lynnfield’s. I understand the challenges of producing a fiscally conservative budget and then holding people accountable for their performance. I’ve managed construction projects that collectively far exceed $100 million. I’ve negotiated union contracts with a number of unions. In my current role as a member of the Baker Administration, I work with town administrators, mayors, local economic development directors and businesses to create jobs and foster private investment. And through our Community Compacts Program, I help municipalities adopt best practices in the governance of their city or town.

“Today, we face new challenges that could significantly alter the character of our community. Whether it’s the Rail Trail project, library, Centre Farm or the closing of Union Hospital, we need leadership that can effectively address those issues. However, simply reacting to these challenges is not enough. We must also have a vision for our future backed by meaningful engagement from all stakeholders. As a selectman, my role will be to help ensure our community’s safety and to promote a positive environment for families to live, students to learn and businesses to thrive.

“My wife Carmela and I love Lynnfield. We raised three children here and are now witnessing the joy of seeing our grandchildren grow up in this wonderful town. I look forward to continuing to serve Lynnfield and I respectfully ask for your vote on April 11.”

Walsh

Walsh, a local attorney, was elected as a member of the Housing Authority in the town election last year. He previously served on the board for a few years prior to last year, but lost a write-in campaign to Housing Authority member Joseph Markey in the 2014 town election.

Additionally, Walsh was the sponsor of three citizens’ petitions that would have overhauled town government at Town Meeting in October 2014. Article 5 would have abolished the Town Administrator form of government and would have returned the town to the Executive Assistant form of government that was in place prior to 1993. Article 6 would have established a residency requirement for the town’s top nine department heads. Article 7 would have reinstated a five-member Consolidated Personnel Board as it existed in 1983.

Town Meeting voters rejected all three warrant articles.

Additionally, Walsh filed a lawsuit against the Board of Selectmen in January 2015 alleging that the selectmen violated the Open Meeting Law due to the manner in which Town Administrator Jim Boudreau was selected to succeed retired Town Administrator Bill Gustus. The case was dismissed.

The Villager reached out to Walsh for a statement about his candidacy via phone and email, but Walsh did not respond to the request by the Villager’s Tuesday afternoon deadline.

Additional races

There are no other contested races in the April 11 town election.

School Committee member Dorothy Presser returned her nomination papers on Monday and had them certified by Town Clerk Trudy Reid. Presser, who is running for a seventh term, was first elected to the school board in 1998 and was re-elected to her sixth term in April 2013.

Political newcomer Richard Sjoberg pulled nomination papers for School Committee and had them certified by Reid. Sjoberg, who is the current co-president of the Huckleberry Hill School PTO, is vying to succeed School Committee Chairwoman Susie Cleary. Cleary announced she would not run for a third term last week.

Presser and Sjoberg are looking to serve three–year terms on the school board.

Michael Sheehan is running for a five-year term on the Planning Board. Planning Board co–Chairman Alan Dresios pulled papers for a one year term, but he did not return them to the Town Clerk’s office by the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday. As a result, Dresios’ name will not be appearing on the ballot.

Library Trustee Faith Honer–Coakley is running for a three year term on the board. Library Trustee Ann Miller announced in December she would not run for a second term and there were no candidates who pulled papers for the open seat. Library Director Nancy Ryan informed the Villager the open seat will be addressed after the town election.

Board of Assessors member Richard O’Neil Jr. is running for a three year term. Town Moderator Arthur Bourque returned his nomination papers and had them certified by Reid. Bourque has served as town moderator since 2012.

Susan Broder, 312 Ross Drive, is running for a two year term on the Housing Authority. Broder is looking to succeed Housing Authority member Barbara Casey, who is resigning from the board on April 10.