By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
NAHANT — Nahant is gearing up for the April 29 town election, which will depend largely on write-in candidates.
Planning Board members Edward Tarlov and Tony Roossien announced earlier this year they would not run for reelection. Another member, Thomas Donahue, elected to step down before his term expires. Mirjana R. Maksimovic was appointed last year; her name will be the only one to appear on the ballot for a full five-year term. Members Richard Snyder, Cal Hastings and Sheila Hambleton will finish their unexpired terms. The town will depend on write-in candidates to fill the remaining seats.
Current Town Moderator David Conlin, Town Clerk Margaret Barile, Assessor Meaghan C. Kramer and Public Library trustee Christine J. Stevens are all running for reelection unopposed.
There will be a vote for two School Committee seats. Current member Lissa Keane opted not to run for reelection. Patricia Sheehan is the only candidate vying for her seat. Incumbent Michael J. Flynn is running for another term.
One seat on the five-member Housing Authority will be absorbed. One member is appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker and three, rather than four, will be elected by the town. Mickey Long hopes to be reelected and Susan Bonner is running for a return to the board after a short time away, said Town Clerk Margaret Barile.
Candidate Michael Smith wants to fill the shoes of Constable Wendy Kessler Cody, who will not seek reelection.
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Richard Lombard, the longest-serving selectman in Nahant’s history, is pushing to add to his record with another term.
Lombard, who serves as chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he needs one more term to finish what he set out to do 38 years ago.
Lombard initiated beautification efforts immediately after joining the panel, he said. He’s proud to have been a part of the revitalization of the Causeway. Establishing The Charles Kelley Memorial is one of the accomplishments he is most proud of from his tenure. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran also headed efforts to create Veterans Park in 2008 and the Richard Davis Memorial on East Point overlooking the ocean. Davis, a U.S. Marine, was the only Nahant resident to be killed in the Vietnam War, he said, though more than 70 were wounded.
Now Lombard is on a mission to change the look of the entrance to town.
The Short Beach Master Plan includes burying above ground electrical wires in Little Nahant from Seaside Pizza on Nahant Road to the Nahant Police Station and eliminating poles on the ocean side. Overgrown weeds behind the park will be cleaned out. A Memorial Pond will be uncovered. The road leading into town will be lined with trees and benches. Gas lamps will replace existing light poles.
But in what he expects to be his final race, he’s up against newcomer Stephen Viviano. The challenger, a Revere firefighter, moved to Nahant at age 5 and attended the Johnson Elementary School. He has served on the Revere Fire Department for six years and has maintained and constructed rental properties in Nahant and Danvers. He lived in Danvers while working on his multi-family units but moved back to Nahant about five years ago.
If elected, Viviano said he would make improving town parks and playgrounds and revitalizing small businesses downtown his priority.
He’d like to attract businesses to the downtown area that would be able to thrive in a town with a population of about 3,000 people, but would also like to see any prospective businesses benefit Nahant residents.
The final day to register to vote is Friday, April 7. The town clerk’s office will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte