Newton’s municipal election season is underway, with more candidates taking out nomination papers to run for City Council and School Committee. There are now several contested races for seats on the City Council and School Committee.
- In Ward 2, two candidates are running for the Ward seat now held by retiring Councilor Emily Norton: David Micley and Daniel Gaynor. In a recent special election, Micley ran At-Large against Councilor Tarik Lucas and Bryan Barash.
- Ward 4’s Ward Council seat, now held by retiring Councilor Chis Markiewicz, also has two candidates: Doris Ann Sweet and Bruce McVittie.
- In Ward 5, former Alderman Paul Coletti is running against incumbent Ward Councilor Bill Humphrey, and Rena Getz, who ran At-Large two years ago, is running At-Large again, challenging Councilors Deb Crossley and Andreae Downs.
- In Ward 6, Martha Bixby is running for the seat now held by retiring Councilor Brenda Noel. Lisa Gordon, who ran for Ward 6 Councilor At-Large in the last municipal election, has taken out nomination papers for both Council seats – Ward and At-Large. She may run for only one seat. If she runs At-Large from Ward 6, she will be challenging Councilors Vicki Danberg and Alicia Bowman. If she runs for the Ward seat, she will run against Martha Bixby.
- In Ward 8, Stephen Farrell has taken out nomination papers to run against incumbent Ward Councilor Holly Ryan.
The Newton School Committee, which has had three unclaimed seats for several weeks, now has candidates for each and one contested race — in Ward 7, where Stefanie Solomon and Jonathan Levin are running for the seat now held by retiring Kathy Shields. Paul Levy, who announced that he would not seek re-election to the Ward 6 School Committee seat, changed his mind and is running for re-election. Barry Greenstein is running for the Ward 8 School Committee seat that is now held by Cove Davis, who is retiring.
Nomination papers must be filed at Newton City Hall by July 25. At-Large City Council and School Committee candidates require 150 certified signatures of registered Newton voters to qualify for the ballot. Ward Councilors need the signatures of 50 registered Newton voters in their ward. If three or more candidates run for the same seat, there will be a preliminary election on September 12. The general municipal election will be held November 7.
