Field Shaping Up For Wilmington Town Election

WILMINGTON, MA -- David Ragsdale became the third Wilmington resident to announce plans to run for two open school committee seats in the April 28 town elections. Ragsdale joins incumbent Mary Jayne Byrnes and Jesse Fennelly in the race. Incumbent Manny Mulas previously announced he will not seek reelection.

In a Facebook post announcing his candidacy, Ragsdale said he works for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has been attending school committee meetings for the past two years.

"I'm running for School Committee because I want to help ensure every child in Wilmington receives a great education and that our town has the best schools possible," Ragsdale said. "I want the concerns of parents and students to be heard, understood and considered when district policies are made."

Meanwhile, the Wilmington Apple is reporting that two more candidates pulled nomination papers to run for selectmen. Robert Fasulo, Jr. is a state investigator and owner of Honey Pot Farm. Meanwhile Joseph Mastrangelo, who just moved to Wilmington last year, is positioning himself as an outsider in the race.

Fasulo and Mastrangelo join Finance Committee member Jonathan Eaton and Joseph Infantino in the race to replace Michael Champoux, who said he will not seek reelection. Champoux has endorsed Eaton in the race.

Nomination papers for those seast, as well as town moderator, representative to the Shawsheen Tech School Committee and the Wilmington Housing Authority need to be returned to the town clerk's office by the close of business by March 9. Canididates need 50 signatures on their nomination papers to be listed on the ballot.

Are you running for office in Wilmington on April 28? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Wilmington Patch.

For more on this story, see the Wilmington Apple. Subscribe to Wilmington Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Candidate photo by David Ragsdale.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).