Town of Framingham Election Season Begins

The town’s election will be held this year in March, not April.

Framingham Town Clerk Valerie Mulvey requested the change so not to have the possibility of two election with two weeks.

The Presidential Primary election is scheduled for March 1. If enough candidates take out nomination papers for town office a preliminary election is required. If the town’s election stayed its traditional first week of April date (April 5) a primary would have been needed on March 8, explained Mulvey.

“I’d rather have two ballots on one day that two elections in almost a week,” said Mulvey. Selectmen approved the change so the Town of Framingham’s official election day for 2016 is Tuesday, March 29.

Nomination papers fr town-wide office may be picked up starting today, Monday, Nov. 16.

They are due back with 50 signatures by Jan. 12, 2016.

There will be a new Selectman elected in 2016, as incumbent Mike Bower announced in June 2015 he would not seek re-election.

Selectman Chair Charlie Sisitsky is up for re-election in 2016, and although he has not officially announced, he is expected to seek another 3-year term.

Two Framingham School Committee members are up for re-election in 2016 - Heather Connolly and Eric Silverman. Again, both are expected to seek re-election.

Yesterday, former Framingham School Committee member Rick Finlay announced he will run for one of the seat.

In 2016, Planning Board members Lewis Colton and Victor A. Ortiz are both up for re-election. The two wee both elected to the Board for the first time in 2012.

Four of the town’s Library Trustees are up for re-election in 2016. They are Ruth Winett, Chris Walsh, Elizabeth Fideler and Robert Dodd.

Three seats on the South Middlesex Vocational School Committee will be on the ballot. The incumbents on the Keege Technical School Committee are John Kahn, Larry Cooper and Linda B. Forbes. It is unknown if they will seek re-election.

The Framingham Housing Authority seat held by former Parks & Recreation Director Robert Merusi is also up for re-election in 2016.

Town Meeting seats in all 18 precincts will also be on the 2016 Town of Framingham Election ballot.

Incumbent Town Meeting members must file written notice to the Framingham Town Clerk by Feb. 2, if they plan to seek re-election. Those new to Town Meeting have until Feb. 9 to file nomination papers with 25 signatures from registered voters in their precinct with the Town Clerks office.

There is the possibility, voters will also elect a 9-member Charter Commission in March.

Nomination papers for that position are available now. Interested candidates must collect 100 signatures of registered voters and submit to the Town Clerk no later than Feb. 9.

Whether a Charter Commission will be elected hinges on a non-profit organization called Framingham First.

Framingham First is collecting signatures to ask that a Charter Commission be created to study the Town of Framingham’s form of government.To learn more about Framingham First, click here.

State law requires those interested in creating a Charter Commission to collect a minimum 15 percent of the registered voters in town (about 5,375 signatures for Framingham) via petition.

Framingham First has a goal of collecting 6,000 signatures by next month, the deadline to be on the March ballot.

In early October, the organization said it had collected more than 3,000 signatures.