Town Caucus results in one contested race; four nominees will not run

When the gavel came down at 5 p.m. at Town Caucus Saturday, March 24, the action was fast and furious: 19 nominations were made, seconded, and closed within 14 minutes. When it was over, all but one position (Warner Free Lecture trustee) had at least one nomination, and both Parks and Recreation and Library Trustees had more nominations than open positions. One candidate has since withdrawn from the Parks and Recreation race, leaving only one contested race.

Debbie Ricci was voted chairwoman of the caucus, and Mary Jarvis the secretary. The speed of the proceedings caused some confusion, and a few observant residents raised points of order when things went a bit too quickly. Bruce Nickerson expressed the dizzying pace best when he said, “Wait a minute—oh, yeah, we’re OK.”

Jim Breslauer’s nomination of Lucy Wallace to the Board of Selectmen brought a chuckle to the crowd of about 50 people when he said she had “probably survived more Board of Selectmen meetings than any other person in Harvard, and she still has the energy to walk her dog every morning.”

Warner Free Lecture Trustees received only one nomination for two positions, and as the crowd waited for someone to speak up, Ricci recalled that at the first Harvard Town Caucus she attended with her husband, Ron, he ended up running for water commissioner because the chairman wouldn’t close the caucus until someone stepped up for that position. But the story didn’t spur anyone to action this time.

It was Town Clerk Marlene Kenney’s first caucus, and she said that she got advice from former Town Clerk Janet Vellante. She added it was hard to find other town clerks to talk to about the process because only 43 towns in Massachusetts still have a caucus. She did contact Bolton Town Clerk Pam Powell for additional advice.

By the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday, March 27, nominees Michelle Catalina, Ted Maxant, and Chris Candon had not turned in signed caucus nomination certificates, so their names will not appear on the ballot. Parks and Recreation nominee Brian Pearly, who had signed his caucus nomination certificate, withdrew his name on March 28. No other candidates came forward with nomination papers by the March 27 deadline. Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. March 29 to withdraw their names from the ballot. The 2018 Town Election will be held May 8.