Politics & Government
With Town Election Hours Away, Here's What You Need To Know
On Tuesday, residents to vote on three contested races and 10 ballot questions.
With hours to go before the Wakefield town elections, you've probably already made up your mind how and who you're going to vote for. Or have you?
If you're still up the air, let's start with the ballot.
There are 10 town positions up for grabs with three contested races - Town Council, Municipal Gas & Light Commissioner, and the Board of Health. In addition, there are 10 ballot questions, all dealing with Charter amendments. The ballot questions range from Question 10, which fixes punctuation and grammar in the charter; to Question 1, which has raised the most debate and would change the process for calling a referendum election to overturn Town Meeting votes.
Find out what's happening in Wakefieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When it comes to Question 1, there are many opinions in town. Some are frustrated by inaccuracies in the debate and urge a Yes vote. Others say the proposed charter amendment is nonsense and urge a No vote.
As for the individual races, there are four running for three seats on the Town Council. Incumbents Anthony Longo, Peter May, and Ann McGonigle Santos are on the ballot along with Jonathan Chines.
Find out what's happening in Wakefieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In the race for one seat on the Board of Health, Elaine Silva is running for re-election against Annette Nardone. There are three competing for two spots on the Municipal Gas & Light Commissioner, Thomas Boettcher, Philip Courcy, and Wayne Tarr.
In uncontested races, John McCarthy is running for re-election as Town Treasurer; William Carroll is running for re-election as Moderator; Thomas Markham, Thomas Flynn, and Susan Veilleux are running for the three openings on the School Committee; Tim Healy, Jeff Quinn, and Chris Barrett are running for three spots as Library Trustees; William Spaulding is running for the one opening on the Planning Board; Brian Donegan is running for the Board of Assessors; and Richard Bayrd and Christian Lopes are running for the two openings as Constable.
Wakefield residents vote centrally at the Galvin Middle School located at 525 Main Street. The voting location is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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