North Adams Council Election Gaining Interest
iBerkshires.com reports thirteen people have so far pulled nomination papers for City Council and Mayor Thomas Bernard has announced he will seek re-election.
Council incumbents taking out papers so far include Keith Bona, Marie T. Harpin, Benjamin Lamb, Jason M. LaForest, and Wayne Wilkinson. Bona, current council president is attempting his fifth consecutive term; he also served several terms in the 1990s. Harpin and LaForest were first elected in 2017, and Wilkinson was returned that year after losing his seat in the prior election and then being appointed to complete a term.
Lamb was elected 2013, part of a cohort of younger candidates who significantly changed the face of council. So far, he is the only one of that group standing for election this year. Both Eric Buddington and Joshua Moran, who came into office with him, have indicated they will be not be running for a fourth term. Rebbecca Cohen and Paul Hopkins, who both won office in 2017, have not taken out nomination papers at this point.
Should all the incumbents running be re-elected, that will still leave at four open seats on the nine-person council.
Taking out papers for council as of late last week are Ronald Sheldon, Bryan A. Sapienza, Robert Cardimino and Roger Eurbin, all of whom have run, or indicated a desire to run, in the past. Also taking out papers are newcomers Jonathan Schnauber, Cameron Lapine, Peter J. Oleskiewicz and Jessica Sweeney.
There are also three seats up for election on the School Committee currently held by Karen Bond, Nicholas Fahey and Tara Jacobs and three on the Northern Berkshire Vocational Technical School District (McCann School Committee) currently held by Rachel Branch, George Canales and William Diamond. Branch has indicated she does not plan to run for a second term.
Nomination papers have been available since April 2 and must be submitted with the required 50 signatures of registered voters by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 19. The last day to withdraw is Aug. 6.
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