Running for New Bedford Public Office in 2013

In the 2009 New Bedford elections, several candidates ran unopposed.  Out of the six ward City Council elections, three of the candidates had no opposition (Wards 1, 2 and 5*). Things improved in the 2011 New Bedford elections as only one City Council candidate ran unopposed. In the November 6th, 2012 elections, nine out of 11 south coast Massachusetts candidates ran unopposed. There may be numerous reasons for the lack of candidates running for office, but in my opinion, the citizens of New Bedford deserve to be given a choice between several qualified candidates for all elected, political offices.  The process to become a candidate for a New Bedford office is simple, but there are strict requirements and time lines that must be fulfilled.

It is important that potential candidates understand the election cycle time line, the requirements to get on the ballot, the rules established by the election commission, and the office positions available.

New Bedford Elections 101
Unlike state and national elections, local elections are non-partisan.  This means there are no parties involved or attached to a candidate (i.e. Democrats versus Republicans).  By law, preliminary elections are held on the 4th Tuesday preceding the final city elections that will be on November 5th, 2013. This means that all qualified candidates are voted on by registered voters in a preliminary election on October 8th. The top two finishers move on to the final municipal election on 8 November, 2013.  The winner of the Municipal Election is sworn in and serves office on 1 Jan, 2014.

Candidate Requirements
All persons wanting to run for public office in New Bedford must fill out and submit official nomination papers to the Board of Election Commissioners.  These nomination papers (available sometime in May, 2013) must be filled out completely, correctly and have signatures of at least 70 registered voters on it. The deadline to turn these papers in will be sometime in August. While the requirement is 50 signatures, registrars are required by law to certify 2/5th more than the number of signatures required. Why? Because signatures can get be disallowed either in the certification process or through challenges.  My suggestion is to get at least 100 signatures and follow these rules:

• The person signing must be a registered voter.
• Make sure the person signing fills out their correct name and it matches the name they used to register to vote.
• Make sure the name is legible and signed in pen.
• Make sure the signer includes their present address and not mailing addresses, like P.O. boxes.
• No nicknames or initials.
• Voters can sign for multiple candidates so don’t be fooled into thinking a person can only sign for one candidate.
• Candidates running for Councilor At-Large seats can get signatures in any ward within the city.  Ward candidates must get signatures from the residents in the specific ward they reside in and want to represent.  A New Bedford Ward maps can be found here.

2013 New Bedford Election Timetable 

• May 20th: Nomination papers become available at the New Bedford City Hall
• Aug 20th: Deadline for filing nomination papers for certification of signatures (5 PM)
• Sep 3rd: The last day to officially file nomination papers (5 PM)
• Sep 5th: The last day to withdraw from race or object to nomination papers (5 PM)
• Sept 18th: Last day to register to vote for Preliminary Elections
• Oct 1st: Last day to file Political Finance Statements with the Board of Election Commissioners (5 PM).
• Oct 5th: Absentee Voting (9 AM – 12 PM)
• Oct 7th: Last day to file an absentee ballot application for Preliminary Election (12 PM)
• Oct 8th: Preliminary Election (7 AM – 8 PM) – top two move on to the Municipal Election
• Oct 14th: Last day to file recount petition with Board of Election Commissioners (5 PM)
• Oct 16th: Last day to register to vote for Municipal Elections (8 PM)
• Oct 28th: File Political Finance Statements with the Board of Election Commissioners (5 PM)
• Nov 2nd: Absentee Voting (9 AM – 12 PM)
• Nov 4th: Last day to file for an absentee ballot application (12 PM)
• Nov 5th: Municipal Election (7 AM – 8 PM)
• Nov 15th: Last day to file recount petition (5 PM)
• Jan, 2012: Winning candidates are sworn into office
• Jan: File Political Finance Statements with the Board of Election Commissioners

New Bedford Elected Offices
There are a total of 16 elected offices in the New Bedford elections.

• Mayor – Chief executive of the city.
• City Council (11 Seats) – Responsible for setting the city budget and appropriating all funds to run the city.  Confirms all mayoral appointments and is responsible for confirming all mayoral appointments. There are two types of city councilors; Councilors-at-Large and Ward Councilors:
  • Councilors-at-Large (5 seats)
  • Ward Councilors (Wards 1-6)
• School Committee (3 seats) –  There are seven seats on the school committee; the mayor and six elected officials. Each serve four years and three come up for election every two years.
• Assessor – Determine the value of all real and personal property located within the City of New Bedford for taxation purposes.

Important Resources:

• 2011 New Bedford Election Page
• 2011 New Bedford Election Results
• The Federal Election Commission
• Massachusetts Elections Division
• New Bedford Elections Commision

New Bedford Election Commission
City Hall, Room 114
133 William Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Tel. : 508. 979.1421
Fax: 508. 979.1422
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8-4, Fri 8-12