BCAT News

With the latest information on candidates for local office released, there may be as many as seven contested races in Burlington’s April Town Election: those for Select Board, School Committee, Housing Authority, and Town Meeting Precincts 1, 3, 5 and 6. 

Of course, all those who have taken out papers may not return them by the Feb. 16 deadline. Sitting Select Board Member Joe Morandi has filed to run for his seat again, and Bradford Bond and Sarah Cawley have both returned papers to either replace him or fill the seat that Select Board Chair Mike Runyan will vacate at the end of his term. 

Special Education Parent Advisory Council President Meghan Nawoichik has returned her papers to run against sitting School Committee Chair Martha Simon; Town Meeting Member Eileen Sickler has taken out papers to run against the Housing Authority’s Richard Howard, but neither have turned in their papers. 

But in one race, there are still more openings than there are potential candidates: Andrea Sheehan is the only person who’s taken out papers to run for two open seats on the Board of Health. David McSweeney, whose term ends this year, has not yet filed to run again. 

According to Town Clerk Amy Warfield, in that situation, there will be a place on the ballot for people to write in a candidate. If one person gets 50 votes, they earn a spot on the board. But if no single person gets 50 votes, the Board of Health and the Select Board appoint someone to fill the seat for one year until the next election, at which point that appointee and any other person can run for a shortened two-year term. 

The full list of candidates is available here.