NAHANT — Mark P. Cullinan and David Wilson face off in a special town election Wednesday hoping to translate their work experience with the town into a Board of Selectmen seat.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. for voting to fill the seat vacated last October by Enzo P. Barile.
Experience defines Cullinan and Wilson.
Cullinan, a third-generation Nahanter, served as Town Administrator from 1995-2011. He worked as state Director of Planning and Construction from 1987 to 1995, and as a Senior Project Manager with the state’s Department of Environmental Management, from 1984 to 1987.
“There are major issues facing the town. I’ve been really concerned over the last several years about turmoil in town government. I think I can help with my knowledge, in particular, of infrastructure,” Cullinan said Tuesday.
A Housing Authority member, Wilson has experience serving on several town boards, including the Conservation Commission, Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and School Committee. He has worked almost four decades for the town Cemetery Department, currently working 20 hours a week.
In addition to aging infrastructure, Cullinan identified coastal flooding, and negotiations with Northeastern University over its proposed Marine Science Center expansion as other major town concerns.
Cullinan holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from the University of Massachusetts, and a master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Wednesday’s election has historical significance — it is the first town special election held since October, 2010. It also caps off a busy three months for Town Clerk Margaret Barile and her coworkers.
They organized a special Town Meeting last Nov. 23 focused on town purchase requests and proposed zoning changes and quickly moved on to organizing the special election.
Dec. 10 was the last day for candidates to file nomination papers and Dec. 27 the last day for candidates to withdraw from the race. Voter registration was held on Jan. 9.
