Newton Election Calendar 2019: What To Know About Election Season

NEWTON, MA — It's getting closer to election season. Since the beginning of May, folks thinking about running for Newton City Council or school committee have been out collecting signatures to secure a spot on the November ballot. The Municipal Election will be held on November 5.

Election season usually doesn't heat up until August, ahead of the preliminary election in September. Folks who live in wards 2, 3, 5 and 6 will see most of the action— if everyone who indicated they want to run ends up running.

Every two years (on odd years) all elected city positions with a two-year term are up for election. The city council is made up of 24 members, 16 at-large councilors and eight ward councilors. The school committee is made up of nine voting members representing each of the city's eight wards and the mayor, who is considered ex-officio. She has a four-year term, so she's not up for election this year. Look for mayoral elections every other municipal election.

Any resident considering a run for city office could pick up paperwork from city hall beginning in May, they have until July 23 to get 50 signatures from registered Newton voters supporting the person's intention to run for office. That's 150 verified signatures if you're running for at-large seats. Candidates will be announced Aug. 6, and then they'll have a two days to change their minds. If there are enough candidates running, there will be a preliminary election on Sept. 10.

If you haven't registered to vote, yet, the last day to register for the general vote is Oct. 16 and then Election Day is Nov. 5. If you want to help narrow the field and vote in the preliminary elections, you have to register to vote by August 21.

Early, it looks like no one is contesting the ward councilors running from wards 4, 7, and 8, meaning only one person is running for those seats this year. As for Councilor At Large seats, a citywide vote, about half look contested this year. The but it does appear there will be contests in Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 6.

As for school committee, also a city-wide vote, 11 candidates are running for eight seats which all last two years. Ward 4's Diana Fisher Gomberg and Ward 5's Steven Siegel can't run again because of term limits.

Contested races look set to be Ward 4, Alex Koifman is running against Tamika Olszewiski. In Ward 5, Lev Agranovich looks set to run against Emily Prenner. In Ward 6, Galina Rosenblit and Ruth Goldman appear to be set to run against one another.

Here's a look at the councilors who have indicated they will be running.

Ward councilors (voters pick one):

In Ward 1:

• Allan Ciccone,
• Maria Greenberg*
• Janet Sterman (update: She fell out in the preliminary)

Ward 2:

• Emily Norton*
• Bryan Barash

Ward 3: (Councilor Barbara Brousal-Glaser is nor running for re-election)

• Carolina Ventura
• Julia Malakie

Ward 4: (No challengers)

• Chris Markiewicz*

Ward 5: (Councilor John Rice is not running for re-election)

• Bill Humphrey
• Rena Getz (update: She fell out in the preliminary)
• Kathryn Winters

Ward 6:

• Lisa Gordon,
• Brenda Noel*

Ward 7: (no challengers)

• R. Lisle Baker*

Ward 8: (no challengers. Cheryl Lappin is not running for re-election)

• Holly Ryan

Councilors at large - Voters choose two:

• Ward 1: (no challengers)
  • Allan Ciccone *
  • Alison Leary*
• Ward 2:
  • Jake Auchncloss*
  • Susan Albright, *
  • Tarik Lucas,
  • Jennifer Bentley
• Ward 3:
  • Pam Wright
  • Andrea Kelley*
  • James Cote *
• Ward 4: (no challengers)
  
  • Lenny Gentile *
  • Josh Krintzman *
• Ward 5:
  • Andreae Downs *
  • Paul Coletti
  • Deb Crossley *
• Ward 6:
  • Alicia Bowman
  • Greg Schwartz*
  • Victoria Danberg*
• Ward 7: (no challenge)
  • Marc Laredo*
  • Becky Walker Grossman*
• Ward 8: (no challenge)
  
  • David Kalis*
  • Rick Lipof*

* indicates incumbent

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch. Follow Fisher on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).