Patty Wenger signs her nomination for School Committee. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
This year’s town election ballot will offer few contests for Harvard town offices. At Saturday’s annual town caucus at Town Hall, three people—Piali De, Bart Morrison, and Patricia Wenger—were nominated for two three-year seats on the School Committee. Several townspeople are seeking a seat as Warner Free Lecture Society trustees: Julie Moberly, Curtis Howes, and Marilyn Strong for two three-year terms; and Patricia Jennings, Fred Hinchliffe, Tom Aciukewicz, and Sydney Blackwell for two one-year seats as trustee.
More than 50 registered voters turned out for caucus Saturday evening. After Town Clerk Janet Vellante began the proceedings by nominating caucus officials—Betty Stone as presiding officer and Rhonda Sprague as secretary—she said that “this is a short but important meeting. Harvard is one of a handful of towns in Massachusetts that still go through the caucus process. Most others rely on residents submitting nomination papers.”
Bart Morrison attends caucus with his family on Saturday night. Morrison was later nominated for School Committee.
Most candidates will run unopposed in the May town election. Nominated at caucus or taking out nomination papers were Robert Eubank for a one-year term as town moderator; Peter Warren for a three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen; Whit Sprague for a three-year term as cemetery commissioner; Deborah Thomson for a three-year term on the Community Preservation Committee; Jack Spero for three years on the Board of Health; Christopher Frechette for a three-year term as library trustee (incumbent Davida Bagatelle said this week she will organize a write-in campaign for another three-year term as library trustee); Marty Green for a one-year seat as library trustee; Mark Mandozzi for one of two, three-year terms on the Parks and Recreation Commission; Kara Minar and Barbara Brady for two, three-year seats on the Planning Board; Craig Bardenheuer and Lisa Fox for two, two-year terms on the Planning Board; Janet Vellante for three years as town clerk; Christian Bilodeau for one year as tree warden; and Joshua Gould for three years as water commissioner. There were no nominations for Housing Authority positions of five years and one year.
