Ferdinand Seeks Return To Board of Health

New entry leaves one seat in need of a candidate

Nine residents have now thrown their names in for eight of the nine seats that will be on the ballot April 1.

The newest entry is George Ferdinand, who served one three-year term on the Board of Health, from 2016 to 2019, before losing his reelection bid in 2019 to Maria Zaroulis. Ferdinand is a regular fixture on the ballot and at Town Meeting, having also ran unsuccessfully for the Select Board and Planning Board. He was appointed on the nomination of Select Board member Mark Kratman for a seat on the North St. and Trahan Reuse Committee.

The profile for his most recent run is available here with more background information.

Who’s In the Hunt

Here are the people running for various seats. A * indicates that the candidate qualified to be on the ballot by returning the required 50 signatures, per Town Clerk Denise Graffeo.

Race: Select Board (two candidates, one three-year term)
* Patrick Holland is currently a member of the Conservation Commission and the Community Preservation Committee. He was recently part of the host committee for Sal DeFranco, who unsuccessfully challenged Senator Barry Finegold in the 2022 state election.

Stephen Johnson is chair of the Tewksbury Planning Board. An attorney with Donovan Hatem LLP specializing in professional liability, insurance defense and coverage, and business and construction litigation, Johnson has served on the Planning Board since 2011 and as chair for six years. We recently interviewed him for our 2023 In Preview series.

Incumbent Jay Kelly is not seeking reelection.

Race: School Committee (one candidate, one three-year term)
* Kaitlyn (Katie) Anderson is a Senior Logistic Manager at Raytheon. Anderson is also a PAC co-chair for the new Center Elementary School and is very involved in Tewksbury youth sports.

Incumbent Keith Sullivan is not seeking reelection.

Race: Planning Board (one candidate for one two-year unexpired term, one candidate for a three-year term)
* Jonathan Ciampa is running for the three-year term. Ciampa has been a resident since 1999. He holds a BS in Architecture from Northeastern and currently works as a project manager, senior estimator and safety officer at electrical construction and engineering firm John A. Penney Co. Ciampa served on the ESBC change order subcommittee and was appointed to the Planning Board in August.

Jay Delaney is running for the two-year term. Delaney previously served one five-year term. He has lived in Tewksbury since 1954 and is a retired union electrician and electrical contractor with over 50 years in the industry.

Race: Board of Health (one three-year term)
George Ferdinand is seeking to return to the Board of Health, where he served from 2016 to 2019. He is a retired union autoworker who also previously ran for Planning Board and Select Board.

Race: Housing Authority (one two-year unexpired term)
Ryan Lloyd is a Tewksbury native and 2009 graduate of Shawsheen Tech. He served for 12 years in the U.S. Air Force and holds a BA in Political Science & Government from American Military University.

Jerry Selissen pulled papers but told the Carnation that he has withdrawn from the race.

Race: Board of Library Trustees (two three-year terms)
Jessica Rauseo is a fourth-generation Tewksburian who graduated from TMHS in 2001. She has two children in Tewksbury schools, one a senior at TMHS and the other a sixth-grader at the Ryan. Rauseo works at St. Joseph the Worker Shrine in downtown Lowell and enjoys knitting, reading, gardening and family time.

Race: Moderator (one three-year term)
Incumbent Dustin Weir is looking to continue in the moderator role. Weir drew praise for his handling of the May and October 2022 town meetings, which featured such contentious issues as the new zoning bylaw, new School/DPW facility and retail marijuana.

Interested in running? Nomination papers are now available at the Town Clerk’s office, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you’re unsure what’s involved, check out this YouTube presentation from Graffeo, noting that the relevant dates and open seats have changed.

The 2023 Annual Town Election will be held on Sat., April 1. The deadline for candidates to file their nomination papers is Friday, Feb. 10, before 5:00 p.m., at the Town Clerk’s Office. You will need signatures from 50 registered Tewksbury voters to get on the ballot.

For more information, visit the town’s Annual Town Election – Running for Public Office page.