Meet the seven candidates, all incumbents (I), running for seven open seats in Town Meeting in Precinct 2.
The names in red below responded to a Q&A made available to all candidates — click on a name to read their responses. LexObserver did not independently verify this information.
Avram Smith Baskin (I)
Carolyn M. Goldstein (I)
Jeffrey Clarke Howry (I)
Jonathan Edward Suber (I)
Laura Wilson Swain (I)
Mark Allan Manasas (I)
Sarah Sarver Daggett (I)
Local elections are on Monday, March 2nd, 7am–8pm. Precinct 2 will vote at Cary Memorial Building; sample ballot here.
If you are a candidate for Town Meeting and haven’t yet responded to our Q&A but would like to be included in our guide, please fill out our Town Meeting Candidate Profile form.
What is Town Meeting, exactly?
A state-issued Guide to Town Meetings describes Town Meeting as “both an event and an entity. As an event, it is a gathering of a town’s eligible voters, and is referred to as ‘the Town Meeting.’ As an entity, it is the legislative body for towns in Massachusetts, and is referred to simply as ‘Town Meeting.’ So you may say, ‘I went to the Town Meeting. Town Meeting approved the budget.’”
Lexington’s Town Meeting is open to all members of the public, but only elected Town Meeting Members may vote on the articles. Citizens who are not Town Meeting Members may speak at Town Meeting, but they are not permitted to make motions.
Town Meeting is responsible for appropriating funds for operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1–June 30), approving all general and zoning by-laws, and accepting certain “local option” statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Lexington has been governed by various forms of Town Meeting since its incorporation in 1713. In 1929, the town moved from an open to representative Town Meeting structure. Under Massachusetts General Law, precincts elect nonpartisan members to serve three-year, staggered terms. Since 1973, Lexington has been divided into nine precincts, with each electing 21 members to Town Meeting, for a total of 189 elected representatives. In addition to these elected members, Town Meeting also includes a maximum of 14 ex-officio members: the Select Board, Town Counsel, Town Clerk, Chairperson of the School Committee, Chairperson of the Appropriation Committee, representatives to the General Court (state representatives and state senators), and the Town Moderator.