With the closing of the nomination period for candidates in city elections last week, the election season gets into full swing this week, as candidates begin introducing themselves to voters.
That effort began in earnest for School Committee candidates Wednesday, July 29 – at LynnArts on Exchange Street, with the first candidates’ forum for School Committee voters sponsored by the Lynn Community Association. The candidates forum was expected to include all 10 of the announced candidates for School Committee.
The candidates are incumbent School Committee members Patricia Capano, Maria O. Carrasco, Donna M. Coppola and John E. Ford Jr., along with challengers Lorraine Gately, Natasha S. Megie-Maddrey, Dolores Jean DiFillipo, June Natola, Jared C. Nicholson and Michael Ouk. The School Committee candidates forum gave each of the candidates an opportunity to state their views about the Lynn public schools.
In addition to the School Committee candidates forum, the LCA has also scheduled candidate a forum for Ward Council candidates on August 12 at the Lynn Museum and for At-Large Council candidates on August 26, also at the Lynn Museum. Both of those events will also begin at 6:30 p.m.
Last week, the Lynn City Council set the stage for the cancellation of the September 1, preliminary election, as the Council asked the state legislature to approve a home rule petition that would cancel the election, because the preliminary election will not effectively pare any candidates from the General Election ballot.
If the Home Rule Petition is approved by the legislature, all of the existing candidates would be able to focus their energy on campaigning for the November 3, general election, creating the potential for additional candidate forums between now and November.