LEVERETT — Most incumbents serving in town government will be seeking reelection on Saturday, at which time nominations will be accepted and then voting will be accomplished from the floor of Annual Town Meeting.
Town Meeting starts at 9 a.m. at Leverett Elementary School.
Because Leverett remains the only community in Massachusetts where candidate nominations are done at the legislative session, the full field of candidates is not known in advance. In case of contested elections, ballots will be disseminated to registered voters in attendance. Otherwise, voice votes will be cast.
However, in the latest town newsletter, many incumbents have indicated they intend to continue serving.
They are: Tom Hankinson for a three-year term on the Selectboard; Richard Nathhorst, Tim Shores and Gary Gruber, for two seats with five-year terms and one seat with a one-year term on the Planning Board; Cynthia Baldwin for a three-year term on the Board of Health; Joan Godsey and Chris Condit for two seats with three-year terms as library trustees; Geoff Allen for a three-year term on the Finance Committee; Cat Ford for a three-year term on the Board of Assessors; and John Swartz for a three-year term as constable.
The lone incumbent not running for reelection is Liz Johnson for a three-year term on the School Committee, while Lizzie Alwan is uncertain about seeking a new three-year term on the Board of Health. There is also a vacant two-year position on the Board of Health.
Those interested in serving in town government were also offered the opportunity to publish candidate statements in the town newsletter and offer oral comments at a recent candidates forum.
Hankinson, who has served for 10 years on the Selectboard, was the lone candidate to write a statement, and no candidates spoke at the forum.
“This has been rewarding for me, personally, and I am grateful for trust the town has placed in my service during my tenure,” Hankinson wrote. He also praised his colleagues for their professionalism and collaboration, as well as Town Administrator Marjorie McGinnis and Town Clerk Lisa Stratford.
If elected for another three years, Hankinson wrote that his goals include creating a new drivable trail to access the Gordon S. King Life Estate, also known as the Blueberry Patch off Shutesbury Road; determining the future of the former Bradford M. Field Memorial Library; and developing a forest management plan and possible cordwood bank at the Two Brothers Woodlot in North Leverett.
