Should candidates be allowed to run for more than one office during the same election cycle and, if successful, should they be allowed to serve in both positions? The answer is yes and no.
That topic came before the Haverhill City Council Tuesday night after Council President Timothy J. Jordan, Vice President John A. Michitson and Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski proposed a ballot question asking voters if they would favor changing the city charter in order to prohibit either or both of those practices. Jordan elaborated.
“I’ve had a number of people ask, ‘Are you allowed to run for more than one office at the same time? Can you serve in more than one office at the same time?’ A lot of people not happy that you can. There’s nothing in our charter that prohibits you right now from doing so. So. there’s nothing illegal about it,” Jordan explained.
Haverhill Assistant City Solicitor Thomas C. Fallon told councilors he spoke with the state attorney general’s office, which would need to approve any type of charter changes. He said, while the question could certainly be put to the voters, “But, whereas the city could do a charter change prohibiting dual office holding, they could not prohibit somebody from running for two offices at the same time.”
Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan also pointed out time is of the essence if the question is to appear on the November ballot. He said City Solicitor William D. Cox Jr. suggested the most expedient way of doing so. “He advised, if we want to pursue this, we should try to move quickly. He suggested that we do the deep dive in subcommittee and then bring it back to the very next meeting of the Council with the actual order, with the language,” Sullivan said.
Councilors agreed by a vote of 8-0 to send the proposal to its Administration and Finance Committee, with Councilor Catherine P. Rogers absent, and planned to have the full Council take it up again its Sept. 19 meeting.
| Campaign | |
|---|---|
| (Names are listed alphabetically under each campaign) | |
| Mayor | |
| Barrett, Melinda E. | |
| Campanile, Debra | |
| Cooper, Guy E. | |
| Eleftheriou, George | |
| Wood, Scott W. Jr. | |
| City Council-At Large | |
| Jordan, Timothy J. | |
| LePage, Colin F. | |
| Michitson, John A. | |
| Simmons, Fred A. | |
| Sullivan, Thomas J. | |
| City Council Ward 1 | |
| Basiliere, Ralph T. | |
| Veras, Alexander | |
| City Council Ward 2 | |
| Hobbs Everett, Katrina | |
| Sapienza-Donais, Toni | |
| City Council Ward 3 | |
| Ferreira, Devan | |
| City Council Ward 4 | |
| Lambert, Craig | |
| Lewandowski, Melissa J. | |
| Quimby, Kenneth E. | |
| City Council Ward 5 | |
| Morales, Michael | |
| Toohey, Shaun P. | |
| City Council Ward 6 | |
| Aguilo, Oliver | |
| McGonagle, Michael S. | |
| City Council Ward 7 | |
| Rogers, Catherine P. | |
| School Committee-At Large* | |
| Magliocchetti, Paul A. | |
| Rosa, Richard J. | |
| Ryan-Ciardiello, Maura L. | |
| School Committee Ward 1 | |
| No nominees | |
| School Committee Ward 2 | |
| Sapienza-Donais, Toni | |
| Sullivan, Gail M. | |
| School Committee Ward 3 | |
| Dilonex, Liliana | |
| Ferguson, Cheryl | |
| School Committee Ward 4 | |
| Lalumiere, Mikaela | |
| Simmons, Fred A. | |
| Thomas, Courtney | |
| Wood, Scott W. Jr. | |
| School Committee Ward 5 | |
| Hickey, Lynette | |
| Story, Jill | |
| School Committee Ward 6 | |
| Collins, Yonnie | |
| Pfeil, Chad | |
| School Committee Ward 7 | |
| Downer, Edward | |
| Grannemann, Thomas | |
| Rogers, Hunter | |
| * No election in 2023 |