Cassidy drops out of Swampscott selectmen race

SWAMPSCOTT – To date there is not one contested race in the annual town election, which is scheduled for April 28.If additional candidates don’t turn in nomination papers by the March 10 deadline everyone on the ballot will be running unopposed, with the possible exception of a couple of Town Meeting member seats.Two potential candidates took out nomination papers for the Board of Selectmen but one has since pulled out of the race. Selectman Adam Forman is not running for reelection. Matthew Strauss and Peter Cassidy II took out nomination papers. But on Tuesday, Cassidy decided to pull out of the race.”I decided not to run for personal and family reasons,” he said. “Right now it’s bad timing. I may decide to run next year if there’s an opening.”School Committee member David Whelan is not running for reelection. Kelly Cunningham and Jackie Kinney took out nomination papers for Whelan’s seat but Cunningham has decided not to run.If no other candidates take out papers by March 6, Kinney would be a shoe in for the seat. If that’s the case this would be the first time in recent history every member of the School Committee will have been given a free pass for a seat on the board.A three-year term on the Planning Board is up for grabs. The vacancy was created when Jeffrey Blonder, whose term was to run through 2012, resigned on Oct. 8 because he was deployed to Afghanistan. Angela Ippolito is the only candidate who has taken out papers to run for Blonder’s unexpired three-year term.Incumbent Patrick Jones has already taken out nomination papers to run for another five-year term on the Planning Board and Incumbent Nelson Kessler is running for another term on the Board of Health. Housing Authority member James Hughes has also pulled nomination papers.Moderator Martin Goldman is also running for another one-year term as moderator and John Karwowski is running for reelection to the Board of Library Trustee.Other terms of office that are up this spring include John Phelan III’s seat on the Board of Assessors.Town Clerk Susan Duplin said no one has taken out papers to run for the seat on the Board of Assessors that is up for grabs.Duplin said a lot of Town Meeting members have not turned in nomination papers and there are numerous vacancies in all precincts for Town Meeting.The last day to take out nomination papers for the April 28 town election is March 6 and all nomination papers must be returned to the town clerk by March 10.Incumbent Town Meeting members must notify the town clerk in writing of their intention to run for re-election no later than March 10.The last day for candidates to withdraw their names from the ballot is March 26.Residents have until 8 p.m. April 8 to register to vote in the upcoming town election.