Race To Replace Newton City Councilor Takes Shape

NEWTON, MA — The former head of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters took the first step to run for Newton City Council last month.

Meryl Kessler filed a statement of organization Oct. 14 with the state's office of Campaign and Political Finance indicating she is likely to run for a seat.

"I have set up a committee," Kessler said late last month, adding she would have more information to share near the end of the year. She lives in Ward 3, and may be gearing up to run in the fall for that election.

While it appears she is eyeing a possible run for city council next fall, the move comes as At-Large Ward 2 City Councilor Jake Auchincloss won his election to represent the 4th Congressional District in Congress, replacing outgoing Rep. Joe Kennedy.

Newton residents Tarik Lucas and Bryan Barash, who both ran for a seat on the council last year, have said they are considering running. That special election which will likely take place in the coming months.

Kessler was the executive director of MA League of Women Voters from 2013 until 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She previously worked at a civic education non-profit based in Boston’s federal courthouse, according to bio on the League of Women voters website. Before that, she worked at Harvard Law School and taught legal studies at Brandeis University. She is married to Scott Oran, a real estate developer at Dinosaur Capital Partners, which was behind the Austin Street development project.

Candidates can pull nomination papers at Newton City Hall, only when Auchincloss officially announces that he will step down, according to Newton City Clerk David Olson.

"He doesn’t have to resign it right away," Olson said.

Auchincloss could wait until the end of the year, since he won't get sworn into Congress until January.

When Auchincloss announces he will be stepping down, that starts the time clock in Newton on a special election to fill his seat, Olson said.

A special election could happen as early as January or as late as March, depending on when Auchincloss makes his announcement and resigns.

At that point, anybody who wants to run can take out nomination papers from the city clerk's office. Any candidate would have to live in Ward 2 at the time they pulled papers. Barash and Lucas both live in the ward, Kessler lives in Ward 3.

Candidates will have to secure 150 signatures to get on the ballot. Because this is a special election, there will be no preliminary election to narrow the choices should more than two candidates make it onto the ballot, Olson said.

"Whoever has the highest total is elected," he said. "And they're sworn in as soon as results are certified."

One thing that will likely play into the timing of Auchincloss's announcement is the fact that the early voting that has been in place for the presidential election expires at the end of December, said Olson.

Auchincloss said he has been in discussions with both Olson and City Council President Susan Albright about what timing might be best for the city.

"We've talked, but we don't have a final date yet," Albright said Oct. 27. "We will know soon."

She said she's asked the state legislature, and Rep. John Lawn, to extend mail-in voting into the new year sooner rather than later.

"I just want to make sure we will have vote by mail worked out in time," she said.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Kessler was involved with the Newton League of Women Voters forum where a participant backed out. She was not.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how .