Waltham Elections 2019: Here's Who Is Running

WALTHAM, MA — It's officially election season. Candidates for Mayor, School Committee and City Council were announced July 12. Because there are more than two people running for mayor, and for council in wards 1, 2 and 9, there will be preliminary elections in those wards and for the mayoral vote.

Got a beef with the way things are being run in the city? Or think everything is going swimmingly? This is your chance to weigh in and change or keep things as they are. 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 fields for the elections, you have to register to vote by August 28.

The preliminary election will be Sept. 17 to narrow the fields from three candidates to two for the office of Mayor, Ward 1, 2 and 9.

Patch invited those candidates to participate in a profile, here's who responded:

• Melissa Downes - Mayor
• Diane LeBlanc - Mayor
• Jeannette McCarthy - Mayor
• Heather May - Ward 2 Councilor
• Robert Logan - Ward 9 Councilor

Ward councilors for 4, 5, and 8 are not contested.

There are eight people running for six councilor-at-large seats. Five of the people on the ballot are incumbents. Councilor Diane LeBlanc is the only at-large councilor not seeking reelection. Instead, she's running for mayor, contesting Mayor Jeannette McCarthy who has been mayor since 2004. One other person, Melissa Downes, has also secured the 50 signatures necessary to run.

The new names on the ballot include Colleen Bradley-MacArthur, Steven Lydon and Patrick O'Brien. Bradley-MacArthur has lived in the city for more than a decade and volunteers with WCAC-TV Waltham Community Access, Mothers Out Front, and Progressive Waltham. Lydon is a Waltham High School graduate, a retired Marine and retired Waltham firefighter of 32 years. O'Brien also graduated from Waltham High School and Boston College. He was a councilor at large from 2003 to 2017.

Take a look at the list of those who are running for office:

Fun fact: There were some 35,051 people registered to vote in Waltham for the state elections last year. Of those, 22,265 people voted. The population of Waltham was estimated to be at 62,442 in 2017.

RELATED:

• Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy Announces She Will Run
• Possible Challenge To McCarthy's Run For Waltham Mayor
• Councilor Diane LeBlanc Hints At Run For Mayor
• Waltham Councilor Diane LeBlanc Announces She Will Run
• Waltham Election Calendar: What To Know About Election Season
• Column: Why I'm Running For City Waltham City Councilor At Large

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).