BY MATT HERSH

The filing period for candidates running for election in March is over and the names are in, revealing several contested positions on multiple boards.

With the planning board changing from an appointed body to an elected one this year, last month, several members of the current board said they wouldn’t run for re-election because they felt the board should be insulated from political influence.

Now the results are in and there are only two  candidates from the current board who will appear on the ballot. 

James Keller, who has been on the board for 12 years, will run, along with Eugene Bryant, a current alternate on the board.

The newly elected board will be made up of two three-year seats, two two-year seats, and two one-year seats.  Keller will run for a three-year term while Bryant will run for a two-year term.

Keller said he spent a lot of time debating whether he was going to run or not, but in the end, he felt he had a responsibility to.

“In a certain respect, I owed it to the town and the board to maintain some kind of continuity as we head into uncharted territory,” he said.

Since critics of the new planning board election process feared a new group of freshman officials, Keller said his presence would help ensure the board runs smoothly.

Still, Keller isn’t without his own doubts about the election process.

“I’m concerned that there is a possibility of influence,” he said.  “Whether that happens in this election is yet to be seen, but the benefit of an appointed board is that you can separate what the right decision is from what the populace wants. Once you start considering the vote, that becomes different.”   

Also running for three-year terms are Linda Harvey and Steven Goddu.

Tim McMeniman, Phyllis O’Grady, and John J. Manning will run for two-year terms, while Edward Declercq, Robert Campbell and Thomas Campbell will vie for one-year positions.

Board of selectmen

With only one open position on Salem’s major decision making body, the board of selectmen, Ron Belanger will seek re-election against current budget committee member Pat Hargreaves.

Belanger has served a total of nine years on the board while Hargreaves has been on the budget committee for four years.

“I think I can serve the community better as a selectmen than I can on the budget committee,” Hargreaves said.

This will be the second time Hargreaves has run for selectmen.  Last year, he came in third place, losing to Beth Roth and Arthur Barnes for the two open seats.

Budget committee

As Hargreaves runs for selectmen, he will be leaving his position on the budget committee open along with another after chairman Peter Rayno’s term expires.

Running for these two three-year terms are former budget committee member Stephen Campbell, Earl Merrow, Jim Randazzo, and Kimberly Sanga.

Campbell, who said he considers himself a fiscal conservative, has been outspoken about the current committee and their lack of fiscal responsibility throughout the budget review process.

Two three-year positions on the school board will be competed for by Roland Maher, Peter Morgan and Patricia Corbert.  Maher and Morgan both currently serve on the board.

Other races

In uncontested races, Harley Featherston is running for trustee of the trust funds and Martha Breen is running for library trustee.