By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Three incumbents have taken out nomination papers for the April 11 Town Election.
Select Board Chair Phil Crawford pulled papers last week. He is running for a fourth three-year term.
“It has been an honor and a privilege serving as a selectman for the last 10 years,” said Crawford in an interview with the Villager. “I would like to announce that I am running for another three-year term. I humbly ask for residents to vote for me on Tuesday, April 11.”
Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Vice Chair James Wilkie has also pulled nomination papers. He is running for a second five-year term.
“My wife, Lisa, and I live at the townhomes on Partridge Lane,” said Wilkie in an email sent to the Villager. “In 1984, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Business at Salem State College and I went on to earn a certificate in Finance from Northeastern University. Between 1993 and 2019, I spent my career working in subsidized housing for low-income families, the elderly and disabled individuals with various socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures and ethnic backgrounds. From 1993 until 1998, I worked at the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, where I remained until I started working as an assistant property manager at a federally subsidized elderly/disabled housing development west of Boston.
“In 2000, I went to work for the Saugus Housing Authority, first as the state housing manager and then as the federal Section 8 housing manager until my retirement in 2019,” Wilkie continued. “In 2018, I was elected to serve on the Lynnfield Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners. After only serving one year as a commissioner, I was nominated and elected by my fellow board members to serve as the board’s chair for the next three years. In 2022, I stepped aside as chair to afford then-Vice Chair Jennifer Welter the opportunity to lead the Housing Authority.
“Given my financial background and my professional experience in the state and federal subsidized housing industry as well as my working knowledge of state and federal housing regulations, I am the ideal candidate to remain serving on the Lynnfield Housing Authority Board of Commissioners as well as serving the residents of the town of Lynnfield,” Wilkie continued. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed serving with my fellow board members and with Housing Authority Executive Director Daniel MacIntyre, who continues to lead the Housing Authority in a forward-thinking, positive direction. I’m looking forward to continuing my service as a commissioner for the next five years.”
School Committee member Jamie Hayman is another who has taken out nomination papers. He is running for a fourth three-year term.
“We have accomplished a lot over the first three terms,” said Hayman in an interview with the Villager. “I am really proud of what we have accomplished. The school district is in a great place, but the pandemic changed a lot and there is still a lot of work to do. I want to make sure that we continue to deliver the best possible education for our students. I am excited about the challenge.”
There are four candidates who have yet to pull nomination papers for the April 11 Town Election. Planning Board Vice Chair Kate Flaws is eligible to run for a second five-year term.
Board of Library Trustees Chair Robert Calamari has the opportunity to run for a sixth three-year term.
Town Moderator Joe Markey is eligible to run for a fifth one-year term this spring.
Board of Assessors member Bonnie Celi has the opportunity to run for a three-year term.
Candidates are required to obtain 50 signatures from registered voters in order to have their name on the April 11 Town Election ballot. The last day to submit nomination papers is Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.
Residents will have the opportunity to vote-by-mail in the April 11 Town Election. Application forms are available at https://www.town.lynnfield.ma.us/town-clerk/pages/vote-mail-application-2023, but residents can also send Town Clerk Linda Emerson a letter requesting a vote-by-mail ballot. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Tuesday, April 4 at 5 p.m.
For more information about the Town Election, residents can call Emerson at 781-334-9400 or email her at lemerson@town.lynnfield.ma.us.
