Melrose Board Of Aldermen Is Musical Chairs At Its Chaotic Best

MELROSE, MA — By the time the Board of Aldermen convenes next year, it will likely be the City Council. It could also be nearly unrecognizable.

Only three current aldermen have pulled papers to run and have done so unopposed. One alderman has a potential challenger. One alderman is leaving public office, another is not running for reelection (at least) and another hasn't made an indication either way. Three aldermen-at-large are running for mayor.

There are guaranteed to be at least three new faces on the Board — almost certainly more than that — and potentially as many seven or eight. Oh, plus the certainty of a new mayor.

And that's just as of May 29. The last day for aldermen to pull papers is Sept. 13.

When you really have to pull out the Excel spreadsheet is when you consider the at-large situation. Kate Lipper-Garabedian is running for reelection, but Mike Zwirko, Monica Medeiros and Manisha Bewtra are running for mayor. (State Rep. Paul Brodeur is also running for mayor.)

State law does not prohibit candidates from seeking multiple offices, so theoretically Zwirko, Medeiros and Bewtra could still return to the board in the fall. But the deadline for submitting papers to get on the ballot for aldermen is Sept. 17 — the same day as the mayoral primary.

That wouldn't be such a problem for a ward alderman, who could probably get the requisite 20 signatures in a 60-minute shift in front of Shaw's. But at-large aldermen need 150 signatures — and no, the signatures garnered in the mayoral campaign will not carry over. So if Zwirko — who has said he will not run for his at-large seat — Mederios or Bewtra decide their campaign doesn't have the momentum they had hoped for, they would likely need to make a move for their old seat before the mayoral primary.

If they did make a late play for the seat, they'd find plenty of competition. There are already five people — including Lipper-Garabedian — running for the four at-large seats: Maya Jamaleddine, Leila Migliorelli, Christopher Cinella and Peter Navarra.

The other seats are more straightforward, though there is still uncertainty.

John Tramontozzi in Ward 1, President of the Board Jennifer Lemmerman in Ward 2 and Shawn MacMaster in Ward 5 have all pulled papers to run again. So has Robert Boisselle in Ward 4, but he faces a challenger in Mark Garipay.

Ward 6's Peter Mortimer is not running for reelection after 18 years on the Board, though he is leaving the option open of running for an at-large seat. Jennifer Grigoraitis is running for his seat.

Ward 7's Scott Forbes is stepping away from public office. Cory Thomas is running for his seat.

Ward 3 is the only ward without anyone having pulled papers. Frank Wright is the alderman, and he, too, has months to decide.