Keith Saxon has pulled nomination papers from the Andover Town Clerk’s office and said he plans to once again run against long-time Town Meeting Moderator Sheila Doherty.
It will be the third time Saxon has challenged Doherty since 2018, not counting 2021, when he received seven write-in votes. Last year, he received 39.9 percent of the vote. His best finish was in 2018, when he received 41.9 percent of the vote.
Doherty, who has been town moderator since first being elected in 2007, has already returned nomination papers to run for reelection.
“I am running again for re-election,” Doherty said in an email Friday. “I look forward to working on the key recommendations made by the Town Government Study Committee that pertain to town meeting.”
Those recommendations include keeping Andover’s open town meeting, adopting in-person electronic voting to shorten the meeting and allow for confidential voting and looking at the possibility of adding remote electronic voting.
The moderator serves a one-year term and is the chief official at town meeting and special town meetings. The next moderator will likely oversee a special town meeting in January 2024 where the body will be asked to approve funding for a new Andover High School.
Key Dates For The 2023 Town Election
The town election is scheduled for March 28. The last day to register to vote in the 2023 Andover election is March 18, 2023. You can register to vote online or by visiting the Town Clerk’s office.
If you plan to run for office, you have until February 7 to submit nomination papers and until February 23 to withdraw. The election warrant is published and posted on March 14.
Candidates have to pick up nomination papers in-person from the Town Clerk. Candidates must be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, a registered voter and an Andover resident. Candidates will be required to file a statement with their name, address and the office they are seeking before they can receive nomination papers.