by John Osborn
Two open seats on the Board of Selectmen are the only offices that will be contested in the upcoming town elections, although a misstatement by the presiding officer may have inadvertently created competition for a third.
Town caucus attendees nominated four candidates to fill the positions currently held by Selectmen Tim Clark and Bill Johnson, whose three-year terms will expire this spring. The nominees include the two incumbents, plus Stu Sklar and Don Graham. A fifth nominee, Leo Blair, received the least number of votes in the runoff to select four nominees and thereby failed to win a place on the ballot. The largest number of votes, 33, went to Graham. Sklar received 26, and Clark and Johnson received 21 apiece.
The selectmen positions were among 17 which will appear on the ballot at the April 30 town election. More than fifty registered voters crowded into the Town Hall Saturday evening for the proceedings, and after electing Paul Green of Old Littleton Road as Presiding Officer and Debbie Ricci as Secretary, filled all but two of the slots in less than 30 minutes.
When it came time to nominate candidates for the one open three-year position on the Planning Board, however, presiding officer Paul Green erroneously announced there were two such positions, and caucus attendees nominated Kara Minar and incumbent Rich Marcello to fill them. Rather than running unopposed, the two candidates will now compete for the one seat. Neither nominee was present; to be on the ballot they must appear at Town Hall to sign nomination papers by March 12.
Here is the list of caucus nominees:
- Town Moderator (1 year): Robert Eubank
- Selectmen (2 for 3 years): Tim Clark, Don Graham, Bill Johnson, Stu Sklar
- Cemetery Commission (3 years): Bruce Dolimont
- Community Preservation Committee (3 years): Didi Chadran
- Community Preservation Committee (1 year): Elizabeth Williams
- Board of Health (3 years): Lorin Johnson
- Library Trustees (2 for 3 years): Marty Green, Joe Newpol
- Park and Recreation Commission (3 years): None
- Park and Recreation Commission (2 years): None
- Planning Board (3 years): Rich Marcello, Kara Minar
- Planning Board (1 year): Jim Breslauer
- School Committee (3 years): Kirsten Wright
- Tree Warden (1 year): Christian Bilodeau
- Warner Free Lecture Trustees (2 for 3 years): Pat Jennings, Sheila Simollardes
Candidates who missed the caucus or were not nominated can still get on the ballot by gathering 41 signatures on a nominating petition and bringing it to Town Hall by March 12. Those who were nominated at the caucus Saturday evening must sign their papers by the same date or forfeit their candidacy.