BCAT News

An election is a formal and organized choice by vote of a group of peoplefor a political office or other positions. We are having Burlington Local Elections on Saturday April 5th, and these elections are held to select members of a town council.

According to the BCAT, the only vacancies to be contested for this year are  the Planning Board, School Committee, Select Board, and Town Meeting in the first, third, sixth and seventh towns. As well as Town Clerk, which will have one candidate Jennifer Priest. 

Bill Gaffney, Ernie Covino, and Gregory Ryan are the candidates running for the Planning Board, Chair Christine Monaco and Vice-Chair Melissa Massardo are running for School Committee, Vice-Chair Mike Espejo and Member Nick Priest are running for Select Board.

The Planning Board provides for and guides the orderly growth and development of the community. 

The Select Board has power to prepare the town meeting warrant, to make appointments to town boards and offices, and to employ professional administrative staff and town counsel. 

The Town Clerk is the municipality’s record keeper and often the chief election officer.

The School Committee shall have the power to select and to terminate the superintendent, review and approve budgets for public education in the district, and shall establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district consistent with the requirements of law and statewide goals and standards established by the board of education.

“It is important to vote because people’s voices can be heard and that’s a way to have a say in the community,” Ms. Northrop, associate principal at BHS, said. “They also help to budget how much money is spent, and if laws in towns are broken they need to be solved.”

Students may wonder if these elections affect the school.

“They definitely do affect our school policies,” Ms. Northrop said.

“Yes, these elections do affect the school due to the school committee,” Mr. Saxon, a History teacher at Burlington High School, said. 

According to BCAT, the last day to register for the voting this year is Wednesday March 26. The last day to request a mail-in ballot is Monday March 31. Burlington’s Annual Town Election will be Saturday April 5th, will polls open at Burlington High School from 8 am to 8 pm. 

“As a public employee and History teacher, I do not discuss who people should or should not vote for but I would encourage people to vote,” Mr. Saxon said. “Sometimes people think it is only important to vote for president but this is also important because it’s about your community.”

“So people should find newspapers or anything that can help them to describe every candidate and then see the one who matches your need and who believes in the same things that you do and vote for that person,” Mr. Saxon said.

According to BCAT, there are debates that are going to be hosted for Burlington’s candidates for Planning Board, The three candidates competing for seats are Jeremy Harrington, Jack Kelly and Gregory Ryan. And don’t forget, the Local elections are on April 5.