BCAT News

The names appearing on Burlington’s April 1, 2023 town election ballot have been finalized. 

Town residents can vote on candidates for Town Meeting Moderator, Select Board, Assessor, School Committee, Library Trustees, Planning Board, Board of Health, Housing Authority, Recreation Commission, School Committee of Shawsheen Tech High School, and all seven Town Meeting precincts. 

Incumbent Moderator William Beyer is running unopposed, as are Select Board member James Tigges; Assessor Kevin Sheehan; and several members of Burlington’s Planning Board, Board of Health, and Housing Authority, all also incumbents.

In contested races, incumbent School Committee Chair Katherine Bond and School Committee Member Carl Foss are competing for two open seats with newcomer Jeremy Brooks, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the committee in 2022. 

Lindsay Carlson and Brian Pupa are vying for an open seat on the Recreation Commission vacated by longtime member Kevin Sullivan, who is stepping down.

In Town Meeting seats, there are seven candidates vying for six open seats in Precinct 1, eight candidates running for six seats in Precinct 5, and seven candidates running for six three-year seats in Precinct 7.

Precincts 3 and 6 each have six candidates running for six available seats. A one-year seat in Precinct 7 is also uncontested.

In Precincts 2 and 4, and for two two-year seats in Precinct 7, there are more open seats than there are candidates running for them. In those cases, Burlington Town Clerk Amy Warfield said residents can still run a write-in campaign. 

“For each office on the ballot, there is a write-in space below the list of candidates. Voters can write your name and address in the space for the office you’re seeking. You can also distribute stickers for voters to place in the write-in space,” Warfield said. 

Warfield said it’s recommended to let your local election officials know if you plan to run a write-in campaign. 

If open seats are not filled in the election, the precinct meets before the Annual Town Meeting to fill the seats for the next year. 

Warfield said the town is already in the thick of preparing ballots. “Voters often tell me that they vote in the ‘important’ elections,” she said. “Town Elections are maybe the most important because this is where you are electing the town’s officials.  These are the people that are making the decisions for the direction and vision of the town as well as these individuals that are deciding where our tax money is being spent.”

The full list of candidates appearing on the April 1 ballot is available here. 

Polls are scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.