Latest news with #towncouncil
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Imagine running for mayor for the first time ‒ and you're unopposed
Acting Weymouth Mayor Michael Molisse will run unopposed for his first full term as mayor. Virtually the only way Molisse wouldn't become mayor is a wildly successful write-in campaign on election day. Nomination papers for the Nov. 4 town election were due back to the town clerk by Tuesday, July 29. The town will not need to hold a primary election. Molisse, the town council president, took over as acting mayor with Robert Hedlund's July 15 resignation. Hedlund announced his resignation June 17, citing family and health concerns. Those wishing to run for mayor then had six weeks ‒ until July 29 ‒ to return nomination papers. There are five open seats for councilors at large. Incumbents Christopher Heffernan, Fred Happel and Richard Coughlin will seek reelection, and Stephen Shinney, Andrew Donovan, Alyson Dossett and James Melody have also thrown their hats in the ring. Molisse and Greg Shanahan will not seek reelection. District 1 incumbent Pascale Burga will face challenger Kathleen Kelly. In District two, former mayoral candidate Edward Cowen will face Rebecca Sherlock-Shangraw, a current school committee member who is not seeking reelection. Incumbent Maureen Kiely is not running for the seat. The exit interview: Weymouth Mayor Bob Hedlund on his 9 1/2 years leading the town The school committee has three open seats, with none of the incumbents with expiring terms – Sherlock-Shangraw, Kathy Curran, and Dana Scott – running for reelection. The six candidates who have submitted nomination papers are Ashley Dickerman, Joseph Bronske, Cynthia Lyons, Allegra Marrone, Kelly McClean and Peter Krawciw. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weymouth election: Who is on the November ballot? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ballot finalized for Waynesville town election, and it's a thin one
Jul. 26—The Waynesville town council election this year is in stark contrast to the packed ballot two years ago of 11 candidates — not counting two more who dropped out because the field was so crowded. Only three are running are this year. Sitting Council Members Julia Freeman and Anthony Sutton will face challenger Landen Stevenson. Once reason for the lighter ballot is that only two seats are up for election this year, while all four council seats plus the mayor were up for election last time. Stevenson, who sits on the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, said one reason he entered the race is to give the town's working families a stronger voice. Stevenson and his wife, Bethany, and their two children, live in the Auburn Park neighborhood. "I love this town," Stevenson said. "I've seen it grow and I've seen the challenges it faces. I want to represent those who feel unheard — the working families, the young parents, the people striving every day to make Waynesville an even better place to live." This is the first election where Waynesville has made the switch to staggered terms — so only half the town council seats are up for election at a time. Two council seats are on the ballot this year, and the other two plus mayor are up in 2027. The two winning candidates from two years ago with the fewest votes — Freeman and Sutton — were only elected for two years instead of four to begin staggered terms, and thus are running again this election cycle. Despite the hotly contested campaign four years ago, all five incumbents were re-elected. Sutton hopes that will be the case again. "People understand the complexities, how difficult it is right now and all the work that we are doing — you don't stop riding a horse midstream," said Sutton, who is also the chair of the regional transportation planning committee. "I'm certainly involved with a lot of items to get the town whole again." Sutton said he was not surprised that only one challenger emerged, a testament to town council doing a good job of navigating Waynesville through the aftermath of Helene. Sutton is seeking a third term on council. However, Freeman said she expected more candidates to enter the race based on her previous campaigns. "I thought there would be more," said Freeman, seeking a fifth term. "I hope the people think we have done a good job the last two years. That could be a possibility for why more people are not running." Stevenson said he also thought more candidates would enter the race. "To be honest, I'm surprised more people aren't stepping up to run, especially given how things played out in the last election," Stevenson said. "But I'm stepping up because I care, and I believe in the strength of our community." Stevenson grew up in Haywood County, went to Tuscola High and then Western Carolina University, where he met his wife. He is currently a realtor at the Keller Williams Great Smokies agency on Main Street. "I love walking the streets of our town, talking with longtime residents and visitors alike, and witnessing firsthand the warmth and beauty that makes Waynesville so special," Stevenson said. Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
This Amherstburg road is so bad, it prompted a petition — but the town says, it's not even the worst
A woman whose elderly parents live in rural Amherstburg has launched a campaign to get the town to repair the street they live on — at a time when town council is preparing to consider how much to raise taxes to pay for infrastructure maintenance.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voters in CT town to decide whether to ban synthetic turf fields
Glastonbury voters will find an extra decision to make on Election Day this year: Should the town and its schools be blocked from installing more artificial turf athletic fields. A small group of residents organized a petition drive to put the question on the November ballot, and town officials this week concluded that campaign was successful: It generated enough signatures to force a referendum. So along with all the municipal candidate choices on Election Day, voters will get to decide whether Glastonbury should have an ordinance banning new artificial turf fields. A group of Glastonbury High School student athletes last year tried an online petition drive to support new synthetic turf fields, saying they reduce the risk of injuries and can be used in bad weather when natural grass fields are unplayable. But that initiative drew only 220 signatures. Resident Dan Boughton, a leader of the campaign to call the referendum, has stressed that fighting against artificial turf doesn't mean opposing investment in local youth sports. 'We are supportive of providing and updating an infrastructure for our youth will have the means to engage in sports at both an intramural and competitive level,' he told the town council earlier this month. 'We can support the significant sports culture in town and we can do it without additional artificial turf fields.' The debate over natural grass vs. synthetic turf has arisen in communities across the country over the past decade, including at least a half-dozen municipalities in Connecticut including Wethersfield, Westport, New Canaan, Norwalk and Stamford. Critics say artificial turf is environmentally hazardous, contains potential carcinogens, and requires expensive replacement after a decade or so. Advocates say it's far more durable than natural grass and vastly less expensive to maintain, and also reject the health warnings as unfounded. Boughton, a Checkerberry Lane resident, told the council that about 20 Glastonbury people circulated petitions in late spring and early summer to put the question in the voters' hands. 'Most people sided with our stance. Some people said we should move forward with adding two additional turf fields. Many people expressed frustration with a perceived excessive spending culture in town,' he told the council. 'What connected all of these views is that Glastonbury voters should be the final voice on this issue. And yes, I did get signatures from folks who are in favor of additional artificial turf fields,' he said. Glastonbury's high school already has an artificial turf field; it won't be affected by the outcome of the November vote. But if the referendum passes, the town will automatically have a new ordinance prohibiting addition of any new ones on local school or municipal property. 'No additional artificial turf greater than 100 square feet, beyond the existing artificial turf field at Glastonbury High School, shall be permitted in any public place,' the referendum petition states. Town Clerk Michelle Krampitz confirmed Friday that she had certified 1,297 petition signatures, more than the 1,262 required by town charter provisions. The town has roughly 25,000 eligible voters. If at least 10% of them cast ballots in the Nov. 4 referendum and a majority vote 'yes,' the turf ban will be binding. If turnout is too low or if most voters reject the proposal, it would fail. Boughton told councilors that even supporters of artificial turf were largely polite and receptive to the referendum idea. 'The vast majority of give and take on this issue has been positive. I can't think of more than one interaction where I've been treated rudely, and this is amongst hundreds of people I've spoken with.' Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Northampton Town Council seeks legal advice over Guildhall move
Town councillors facing eviction from their Victorian civic base are seeking legal advice, claiming it is their "natural home".Northampton Town Council was set up in 2021 and has leased part of the town's Guildhall, which is owned by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), ever has been told it must leave later this year by WNC under its "office optimisation" plan. This includes selling off the Guildhall's 1992 extension. Reform UK WNC leader Mark Arnull said the town council had been offered "alternative and suitable long-term space at county hall". The town council leases the lower west wing of the building, but was told in January last year it had to give up the space to allow the coroner's service to relocate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. "We see the Guildhall as a valuable part of civic life for all residents of Northampton, and as the formal town hall, which is also home to the Mayor's Parlour, it is without any doubt, the natural home of the town council and the town's mayor," said Les Marriott, chair of the town council's policy and finance committee and Labour added when the town council was set up, a cross-party working group - including the former borough council and the shadow West Northamptonshire Council - agreed to grant it "a long lease of the historic part of the Guildhall". "We have sought legal advice on this matter and now hope to continue pragmatic and constructive negotiations with WNC to secure the long-term lease that was originally promised," he unanimously backed plans to continue negotiating with WNC over the proposed mayor Rufia Ashraf, who is also a WNC Labour councillor, said on social media that "some members are prepared to strap ourselves to the building to keep their iconic home".WNC has not confirmed a date for the council's relocation. Arnull said: "The historic part of the Guildhall will continue to be home of the mayor of Northampton, as it has been so for many centuries." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
