NORWELL – The Norwell Board of Selectmen will have two new members later this month after residents choose from three political newcomers running for open seats on the board.
Stephen T. Novick, Thomas Andrew Reardon and Peter William Smellie – all three of whom would be first-time elected officials if chosen – are competing for two seats on the board. Current members Alison Demong and Joseph Rull are not running for reelection.
There is also a race for one seat on the school committee. Kristin A. McEachern and Erin Reardon, both political newcomers, are competing to replace Mary Lou O Leary, who is not seeking reelection.
MILTON As her school board hashed out a plan for learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristin Kociol said she, like many parents, tuned into every virtual meeting and took every opportunity to voice her hopes and concerns.
“Parents would pour their heart out over Zoom, and I think we felt like they were listening, but then there was no plan or transparency on the side of the school committee,” said Kociol, of Milton, whose daughters are in fourth and seventh grades. “I felt like the schools weren’t meeting the expectations I had as a parent, and I was surprised the school committee wasn’t engaged in a more public discussion with community stakeholders.”
Nomination papers for Norwell s May town election available Feb. 8
Patriot Ledger staff
The papers can be obtained at the town clerk s office by appointment only.
Any Norwell resident who is a registered voter may run for office.
The terms of 12 town officials serving in nine different offices will expire in 2021. They are:
Robert S. Allen, board of assessors
Peter M. Dillon, board of health
Monika Brodsky and Christine E. Smith, library trustees
William C. Coffey, moderator
Mary Lou O Leary, school committee
Alison Demong and Joseph M. Rull, board of selectmen
Peter M. Dillon, water commissioner
John F. Carnes Jr. and Charles R. Markham, housing authority