Anyone want to be an Alderman?

[wobblymusic.livejournal.com]

It would appear that Rebekah Gerwirtz is not seeking reelection for Ward 6 Alderman.

Comments

[ron_newman]

And Ward 6 School Committee member Paul Bockelman will not run for Rebekah's seat, even though some media reported that he would. (He told me this at last month's Duhamel brunch fundraiser.)

[gruene.livejournal.com]

Ron Newman for Ward 6 Alderman!

[ron_newman]

no thanks

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Was this after it was already known that Gerwirtz wouldn't be running? Today is the first I've heard of it, so I'm surprised that I missed any mention of it.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

It has been rumored for a many months, and known for I think a month.

[ron_newman]

I first saw this in the Somerville Times a month or two ago.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Thinking of running? I'd vote for you!

[wobblymusic.livejournal.com]

Ha ha.

No.

How does one run?

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

The link from that articles just shows a calendar for nomination papers, it doesn't really show how to obtain and go through the process of running for Alderman. Just curious to know how one would run for Alderman? Just go to City Hall and fill out paperwork?

RE: How does one run?

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

probably...most likely. I believe the process for running for president is 2 separate forms each 1 page; rather simple when I looked it up a few weeks back- of course as long as you meet the eligibility needs of Article 2 of the Constitution.

I am guessing once the process begins that is where the money gets involved and unfortunately the modern day system kicks

RE: How does one run?

[cos]

"How does one run?" is a broader question than just "how does one get on the ballot?". The latter question is simple enough to answer in an LJ comment, the former is not :)

For pretty much any office, be it state or municipal or federal, in Massachusetts the way you get on the ballot is the same: You get nomination papers from city/town election departments, then have registered voters sign those papers, then turn the papers in to those cities/towns to certify the signatures (check that they really are registered voters inside the district you're trying to run for), and if you have enough certified signatures, you can get on the ballot. For offices whose districts span multiple cities and towns, you have to get separate forms from each municipal government you want to collect signatures in, and make sure voters sign the right form - if a Cambridge voter signs a Somerville form, Somerville won't be able to certify their signature. But for alderman, you obviously don't have to deal with that: All your forms will be Somerville.

IMO it's ridiculous that the Somerville Elections Department doesn't say what the signature requirements are for city offices, so I just called them to find out, and also urged them rather strongly to add that information to the web site :/ Anyway, the signature requirement for a ward alderman is 100. Meaning you need 100 certified signatures of registered voters who are registered at an address in that ward. Practically speaking it means you should collect at least about 120, because not every signature you get will be certified. Some people think they're registered but aren't, some people write illegibly and the city can't tell who they are, some people are mistaken about which ward they live in but sign anyway just in case, etc.

RE: How does one run?

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's very informative!

RE: How does one run?

[cos]

One other bit of practical advice: Turn in some nomination papers early, even if you know you don't have enough signatures yet. That way you can get them back from the city early, and know how many of those signatures were certified. For example if you turn in a sheet with 30 signatures long before the deadline, and get it back with only 12 certified and 18 invalid... well, at least you have a better idea of how many more signatures you still need to collect. Better to find out how many of the ones you've collected are valid, early enough that you can still collect more if you need to.