Published January 23, 2020

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — Current School Committee Chairman Scott Buckley was the first candidate to pull nomination papers for the May 5 town election when they became available Tuesday morning to kick off the 2020 campaign season. Buckley is seeking his second three-year term.

Seats on four boards plus the town moderator’s position are up for election this year. This is the year that only one seat on each board is up for renewal.

In addition to School Committee, one seat each for three-year terms are available for the Select Board and Community Planning Commission (CPC); one seat for a five-year term on the Housing Authority; and one seat for a one-year term for Town Moderator. Incumbent Select Board member Andrew Schultz previously announced that he will not be seeking a second term.

“Serving on the School Committee after being elected by this town is one of the proudest moments of my life,” Buckley said in a statement when contacted by the Transcript Tuesday night seeking comment on his reelection campaign. “There has been a lot of change in my first term, in fact, after just one term I am now the second senior member of the committee,” he said.

“In terms of accomplishments, as a group the two moments that stand out are running an open process to select a new Superintendent and overseeing that transition, and lowering the fee for girls to play hockey,” Buckley said.

During his first year on the board, Buckley and former fellow member Julie Koepke raised the issue that female hockey players at NRHS paid nearly four times the fee paid by boys who played hockey at NRHS because the girls were part of a co-op team rather than a North Reading team. “That seemed both unfair and a barrier for girls to play (hockey),” he said, adding that in the two years since the School Committee changed the fee structure participation by girls in the sport has increased.

“Individually, I am proud of how I have acclimated to the committee and made connections in town,” Buckley stated. “I have sought advice from those in the community and predecessors on the committee and worked well with an ever-changing committee. In my first three years I served one year as Vice Chair and this year as Chair, which meant I was on the Financial Planning Team twice. I also negotiated the only union contract that expired last year and am helping negotiate one of the three that expire this year.”

Buckley added, “Looking forward, we have a very talented, but very new School Committee with an equally talented and new Superintendent. I hope to help provide support and stability to both as we all season together. There are still many things that can be improved, most notably budget issues such as lowering or eliminating the cost for full day kindergarten and lowering our energy consumption.”

“Overall though, North Reading schools are in a very solid position and I hope to help maintain that. When things are going poorly, many step up to seek change, but we need to care about the schools before a big crisis occurs. Others have fought hard to put us in a solid position today and I want to ensure that we do not squander the work they did,” Buckley 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.