Sudbury Select Board Member Charlie Russo To Run For Re-Election

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury residents will head to the polls to vote on one open seat on the Sudbury Select Board, and current member Charlie Russo has announced his candidacy for re-election.

Russo has served on the Select Board since September 2020. If elected, he will serve a third term.

He began his career after college as a newspaper reporter, spending much of his time covering local government and attending Select Board, Conservation Commission, and Town meetings throughout the state. In 2013, when he moved to Sudbury with his wife to raise a family, Russo decided to run for local government.

"Two Conservation Commission meetings had to be canceled because they couldn't get a quorum of members to attend," Russo told Patch. " I found it frustrating that the government wasn't working for residents at that time in that way... so rather than, you know, grumble about it or be mad about it, I decided to get involved, and that's when I applied to be a member of the Conservation Commission."

Related: Sudbury Ballot Takes Shape Ahead Of 2026 Town Election: Select Board, School Committee And More

Throughout his tenure on the Select Board, he has helped expand the town's rail trails and other community infrastructure.

"The first term that I served, I think, was about unblocking some projects that had been long delayed in town, like the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and Fairbank Community Center," Russo said. "Then the second term was about sort of stabilizing."

He helped lead the hiring process for a new Town Manager during his second term. In a third term, Russo said getting the town on a sustainable path will be most important.

"What's coming up is going to be finding the right path between trying to expand the services and amenities that we offer residents and then doing so within the constrained budget that we're likely to encounter in coming years."

In past years, Sudbury has delivered strong financial performance, but there could be tougher economic conditions ahead.

Russo told Patch that there needs to be "some tough conversations about priorities and about how to navigate that path of continuing to be a top quality of life, community to live in, but also, working within the budget constraints that we'll have."

Looking ahead, Russo said many solar projects are coming up, and there are exciting opportunities for small investments that can deliver significant returns over time. He said the knowledge and experiences from his first two terms would help him in a third term.

"The knowledge I've gained will benefit me, but it's not a role that you should continue to do if you're just looking backward," said Russo. "The joy and the challenge is trying to look ahead to the future and to what else could be done better."

The Annual Town Election is scheduled for Monday, Mar. 30. 11 town-wide office positions will appear on the ballot, including one seat each on the Select Board, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Park and Recreation Commission, and the Planning Board. There are two open seats each on the Sudbury School and the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committees.

The deadline to register to vote in Sudbury is Mar. 20, and voting by mail will be available for the election.

Related:

• Sudbury Board Of Assessors Member Liam Vesely To Run For Re-Election
• Sudbury School Committee Member Julie Durgin-Sicree To Run For Re-Election