Published in the March 7, 2017 edition.
WAKEFIELD — It looks like there won’t be a race for a five-year seat on the Housing Authority after all.
In fact, the position won’t even appear on the April 25 municipal election ballot.
The state is beginning to pare down the size of housing authorities across the Commonwealth, and the seat now held by Alfred S. Confalone of Walton Lane won’t exist after its term expires in the spring.
In a memo dated February 15 to Town Clerk Betsy Sheeran, Michelle K. Tassinari, director and legal counsel for the state Elections Division, provides some clarification regarding the election of housing authority board members in towns.
“In 2014,” she writes, “there was a change to Massachusetts law that reduced the number of board members elected by voters of the town from four members down to three. The fourth elected member must be a tenant who is elected by tenants; however, in order for these tenant elections to be carried out, the Department of Housing and Community Development must promulgate regulations on the tenant election process. The regulations are currently being reviewed for approval and are expected to be promulgated by the late spring of 2017. This misalignment between the law and the timing of the regulations has caused confusion regarding this spring’s town elections.
“Therefore, (the Secretary of State’s office) issues the following guidance on how to proceed:
“If your town election is more than 64 days away from the date of this memo (Wakefield’s is), do NOT include the position of local housing authority board member on the ballot if there is a seat set to expire this spring. This is consistent with the provisions of law relative to reducing the number of members of an elected board and provides notice to any incumbents or other potential candidates that the position will no longer be elected by the voters. This timing is consistent with the provisions of (the related section and chapter of the state’s General Laws) and provides sufficient notice to incumbents and potential candidates to seek other elected positions. Specifically, this would ensure candidates have 15 days to collect signatures for other elected positions.”
Confalone, who took out nomination papers for reelection to the Housing Authority on Jan. 13, was being challenged by Preston Street’s Julio O. Encarnacao, who pulled his nomination papers Jan. 31.