Selectmen's Race Back Down to Four

Just a few hours after the news that Permanent Building Committee chairman Pat Maloney took out nomination papers in the crowded race for the two seats on the Board of Selectmen, candidate Louis Marino announced he will not finalize his nomination on the In-Town Report Facebook Page.

Marino told Chelmsford Patch he will instead support the candidacies of Maloney and incumbent Selectman Matthew Hanson.

With Marino's exit from the race, the field is winnowed down to four: Maloney, Hanson, Planning Board member Bob Joyce and Town Meeting Rep Roland Van Liew.

"I think it's just the best move I can make for the town," he said. "Bob (Joyce) has his following, Roland (Van Liew) has his, and if I were to continue to be in the race, it'd water down things, and the town doesn't need that."

Instead of running for Selectman, Marino will instead choose to pursue a vacant two-year Town Meeting Rep seat for Precinct Five in addition to seeking other opportunities to volunteer for local government boards and non-profit organizations.

Two seats are up, those of Hanson and Chairman Jon Kurland, who has indicated in the past that he is unlikely to run this year.

The deadline for taking out nomination papers is tonight at 5 p.m., and the deadline for returning signatures to confirm nominations is Tuesday at 5 p.m.

More information is available on the Town Clerk's page on the town website.

CORRECTION: The deadlines are Feb. 8 and 12. We apologize for the error.