NEWBURYPORT — With a little more than one month left to pull nomination papers, nearly all of the city's top elected officials are indicating they plan to seek another term.
Mayor Donna Holaday is circulating nomination papers to secure her second two-year term in the city's top administrative office. So far, no one has stepped forward to challenge her for the seat.
Nine of the 11 sitting city councilors have also taken out papers for re-election bids, and the other two intend to follow suit soon.
Councilor Tom Jones said he was planning to head to City Hall yesterday afternoon to pick up papers to run for re-election. But instead of seeking one of the at-large council seats he now holds, he'll be running for Ward 4 councilor and the chance to deal with issues specifically related to his home ward.
Jones' decision follows current Ward 4 Councilor Ed Cameron's announcement that he will be broadening his reach and campaigning for one of the five at-large seats after serving two terms as ward councilor.
"It would be an exciting challenge to run across the city, so I'm going to give it a shot," Cameron said.
Jones said he was inclined to zero in on issues specific to his home ward, where he has lived all his life.
"I think it might do me a world of good to concentrate on one ward," he said. "That's my thinking.
"I grew up on Low Street. My family lived on Low Street. My mother's family lived on Low Street since 1896. We've been around a little while."
Incumbent at-large Councilors Barry Connell, Steve Hutcheson and Ari Herzog have already pulled their papers for re-election, while fellow at-large Councilor Kathleen O'Connor Ives said she plans to do so in the near future. They will face competition from newcomer Larry Giunta, who has thrown his hat into the at-large race, as well.
Herzog is the first candidate to return to City Hall the completed nomination papers bearing the requisite 50 signatures from residents needed to guarantee his place on the Nov. 1 ballot.
Assistant City Clerk Tricia Barker said the city's three incumbent School Committee members whose terms are expiring at year's end — Vice Chairman Bruce Menin and members Nick deKanter and Stephanie Weaver — have yet to pull papers.
The deadline to obtain nomination papers is Friday, July 29, at 5 p.m. Completed forms must be returned to City Hall by Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m. to secure a spot on the ballot.
Barker said it's too early to know whether the city will need to hold a preliminary election on Sept. 13. A preliminary election is held when there are more than two candidates vying for one open seat. There would need to be at least three candidates for mayor and at least 11 candidates for the five at-large City Council seats to trigger a preliminary election.
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