HopNews
Last August, three Hopkinton residents launched a Citizens Petition to eliminate partisan elections in the town. In plain language, this initiative would prevent the terms “Democratic Caucus Nominee” or “Republican Caucus Nominee” from appearing next to a candidate for public office’s name on the ballot. It would also prevent political parties from caucusing to anoint a candidate.
Ed Harrow, John Cardillo and Amanda Fargiano are the sponsors of this initiative. All three are active in town politics; Harrow chairs the Open Space Preservation Commission, Cardillo is an elected Constable and was recently appointed to the Veterans Celebration Committee, and Fargiano is a School Committee member.
“What occurred during this last election cycle involving pseudonyms, newsjacking and fake news was all driven by partisan politics,” said Harrow. “From my perspective, there are no Democratic or Republican solutions to our problems, there are only Hopkinton solutions.”
Harrow, who has lived in Hopkinton since 1981, pointed to the May 15 school committee election as evidence of the power of political parties to influence Hopkinton’s elections. “Adam Munroe, who many people in town know, received 998 votes, while Susan Stephenson, who was virtually unknown, received 934. This is an obvious example of people voting for the party, not the person.”
>> READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE PETITION
The petitioners hope that this will force candidates to be more proactive, rather than just relying on an endorsement from a political party. “They’ll have to put their own curriculum out there for voters and be clear about who they are and what they stand for,” said Harrow.
The three campaigned on the Common and went door to door to collect the required number of signatures needed to add the article to the Special Town Meeting warrant. Today, Town Clerk Connor Degan informed the petitioners that the signatures had been certified.
Hopkinton is one of 16 towns in the Commonwealth (out of 351) to still host partisan elections, a number that continues to drop each year, said Degan.
The Special Town Meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2023, with the main agenda item a vote on the Elmwood School replacement project.
Great job Ed Harrow, John Cardillo and Amanda Fargiano! Thank you for your initiative. If passed this initiative will definitely make a positive difference to our town in so many ways. I think we will all coexist better.
What a concept! Enough said.
Nice work John and Ed. Hopkinton politics have turned towards gang mentality. Too many great people in town were hesitant to run for office because of how some would gang up and go after them. This won’t stop it but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Thank you Ed, John and Amanda. This is real change. For someone who received direct attacks from partisan politics in this town, I am really grateful for your hard work.