Published March 4, 2021

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — In election news this week, the vacancy on the Community Planning Commission (CPC) created when Bill Bellavance stepped down in December has been filled.

During a joint meeting of the five-member Select Board and the remaining four members of the CPC, held on Monday night, Jeremiah Johnston was unanimously elected to fill the unexpired elected term through the May 4, 2021 annual election.

The joint appointment process is prescribed by state law (MGL Ch. 41, Sect. 81A). Prior to the vote, Select Board Chairwoman Kate Manupelli stated that the two boards previously held a public hearing (virtually) on Tuesday, Feb. 9 for the purpose of interviewing candidates who had applied for the appointment. The nominees were Johnston, of 126 Marblehead St., and Matthew Dumont of 16 Patriot Way. She commented that both had “impressive” resumes.

CPC Chairman Warren Pearce also stated that both candidates “agreed that they would pursue papers in the upcoming election” if they were the nominee for the position. This desire had also been stated when the position was advertised.

Johnston is an attorney. In 2011, he founded Johnston Law Office and specializes in e-commerce, Internet infrastructure and policy. His firm is based in North Reading. From 2004 to the present he has served as General Counsel for Sedo.com, a domain trading platform based in Cambridge, which he helped launch. He served as the firm’s CEO from 2005-2011. He obtained his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in 2004. In 2002, he attended Lund University in Sweden, an international law school exchange program, to focus on courses in international business transactions.

Johnston holds a BS in Mass Communication from the University of Utah and also serves on the Board of Directors for two non-profits: the Better Business Bureau of Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT, and the International Commerce Association, a trade association he helped form in 2006.

Dumont is the Director of Corporate Development for Asahi Kasei, a $20B Japanese-based conglomerate with a focus on home building, chemicals and healthcare, where he leads M&A activities in its healthcare business unit. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, and MS and BS degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Both Johnston and Dumont are relatively new residents of North Reading. Johnston moved to town last October and he and his wife are the parents of an infant daughter. Dumont moved to town in December 2019. In his cover letter to the board, Dumont expressed an interest in helping to see the Winter Street/ Main Street / Route 28 area of town “continue to develop its Class A commercial and residential property base and become a gathering place for the town.”

Voting to appoint Johnston, in addition to Manupelli and Pearce, were CPC members Ryan Carroll, Chris Hayden and David Rudloff, and Select Board members Rich Wallner, Liane Gonzalez, Vincenzo Stuto and Stephen O’Leary.

“I wanted to let everybody know that both of the candidates were outstanding. This is the second time where we’ve had to interview somebody (to fill a vacancy) where all the candidates were outstanding,” Pearce said after the vote, adding it is “a great thing that we’re getting that quality of candidates to volunteer for these positions. The vote was just as difficult as the last time we had to do this, and I hope that Mr. Dumont will continue his pursuit of work within the town.”

O’Leary encouraged Dumont to seek an appointment to other committees as well, such as the Economic Development Committee or the Wastewater Committee, both of which will work on projects that will have an impact in the development potential of the town, particularly its commercial base.

Stuto, the board’s liaison to the CPC, responded that during the interviews with the candidates all the board members present at that meeting agreed that regardless of who was appointed to this vacancy the other nominee should consider serving on the EDC. “We encourage everyone to run. I feel like you get the best of people during competition,” Stuto said.

Nominations due March 16

All candidates for elective office in the annual Town Election have 12 days to return their nomination papers by the 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, March 16.

Due to the current closure of Town Hall to the general public, all candidates must make an appointment with the Town Clerk’s office to conduct this business (socially distanced in the foyer; masks required). Call 978-357-5218 during regular business hours, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

As the Transcript went to press Wednesday morning all incumbents had pulled papers but none had returned them for certification. Johnston had not yet pulled his papers. Candidates for public office must obtain at least 50 signatures from town residents who are registered to vote in North Reading for inclusion on the ballot.

The incumbents are Select Board Chairwoman Kate Manupelli and Select Board member Stephen O’Leary, School Committee members Rich McGowan and Dyana Boutwell, and Community Planning Commissioner Ryan Carroll. Each seek to retain their three-year terms. Additionally, incumbent Town Moderator John J. Murphy pulled nomination papers for his 17th consecutive one-year team.

The Transcript publishes candidates’ statements from each candidate in the edition closest to the election to enable them to speak directly to their constituents.

Town election basics

The following seats are up for election on May 4 this year. Incumbents are listed in parentheses:

• Two seats for three-year terms on the Select Board (Kate Manupelli and Stephen O’Leary);

• Two seats for three-year terms on the School Committee (Dyana Boutwell and Rich McGowan);

• Two seats for three-year terms on the Community Planning Commission (Ryan Carroll and Bill Bellavance). Please note: Jeremiah Johnston was appointed March 1 to fill the Bellavance vacancy until election day.

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

• One seat for a five-year term on the Housing Authority (no vacancy; this seat will be open for appointment).