Published in the March 22, 2018 edition

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING – Six out of seven candidates who pulled nomination papers for a spot on the May 8 Town Election were certified for inclusion on ballot by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

According to Town Clerk Barbara Stats, Neal E. Rooney III came up just shy of the required number of 50 certified signatures to run for one of two seats on the Community Planning Commission (CPC). He had 46.

Rooney still has the option of running as a write-in candidate for that seat, just as anyone has that right and the opportunity to run for any race, Stats explained.

All other candidates who pulled nomination papers had their signatures certified.

• Incumbent Selectmen Kathryn Manupelli and Steve O’Leary will both seek re-election to their three-year terms on the board.

• Incumbent CPC Chairman Bill Bellavance is seeking re-election to a three-year term on the board.

• Incumbent Town Moderator John J. Murphy is running to retain his one-year term in that position.

• Richard F. McGowan is running for his first three-year term on the School Committee. There remains one open three-year seat on the committee as both incumbents Jerry Venezia and Julie Koepke are stepping down at the end of their current terms in May.

• Chuck Carucci is running for his first five-year term on the Housing Authority.

Now that the candidates are certified as eligible to run for an elective office, the last day a candidate can choose to withdraw his or her name from the ballot is Thursday, April 5 at 5 p.m. The Town Clerk’s office will remain open an extra hour on that day, per state law, according to Stats.

Anyone can run a write-in campaign for any seat on the ballot. Even if both candidates who pulled papers qualified for having their name on the ballot, voters have the option of writing in the name of an undeclared candidate, Stats said.

The number of write-in options available is equal to the number of seats up for election for each position on the ballot.

This means in the case of the Town Moderator and the Housing Authority, for which there is only one position available, the ballot will include the name of the respective candidates plus one write-in line.

For the positions of Selectman, School Committee member and Community Planning Commission member, there will be two write-in options available in addition to the names of the qualified candidates.

The last day residents can register to vote to participate in the May 8 Town Election is Wednesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. The Town Clerk’s office will be open an extra four hours that night to accommodate voters, also as mandated by state law.

Stats reminds voters that early voting is not available for any local elections in the state.