During what is usually a quiet time for local politics, the races for two vacant state representative seats became competitive scrambles after the House voted last week to hold special elections March 4.
In the 32d Middlesex District, which includes Melrose and part of Wakefield, voters will choose a successor to Democrat Michael E. Festa, who resigned last month to become the state's elder affairs secretary.
In the Eighth Essex District, comprising Marblehead, Swampscott, and two Lynn precincts, voters will replace Democrat Douglas W. Petersen, who resigned this month to become commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources.
In both districts, the general election will be preceded by primaries on Feb. 5.
The short time frame and approaching winter create challenges for contestants. The state this week moved its presidential primary to Feb. 5, which could boost voter turnout that day.
With Dec. 26 the deadline to submit nomination papers to local election officials and Jan. 2 the last day to file certified papers with the secretary of state, fields are quickly forming in both districts.
In the 32d Middlesex, five people, all from Melrose, have taken out nomination papers. They are four Democrats - School Committee member Katherine Clark, Alderman at Large Ron Seaboyer, longtime community volunteer Guido Federico, and Jeffrey Carter Gilson - and a Republican, Mark B. Hutchinson, co-owner of a family real estate agency in Melrose.
In the Eighth Essex, three have taken out nomination papers: Democrats Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead, an environmental advocate; and Cesar Archilla of Swampscott; and Republican John Blaisdell of Marblehead, a retired police officer in the town.
Swampscott Democrat and former selectman Reid J. Cassidy said this week he expected to make a decision by Sunday about whether to enter the race. Another who had been considering the race, Marblehead Republican Sharon Randall, has decided not to run.
Those who have jumped into the fray are moving quickly to raise money and organize voter outreach.
"Because of the shortness of time, there are some concerns," Blaisdell said. "But we're all on an even playing field. . . . It's fair for all of us."
The 32d Middlesex race features contenders who are relatively well known from their work in government and other activities.
Clark, a lawyer, lost a bid for state Senate in 2004, and cochaired the Democratic party's state campaign in 2006. Until she resigned recently to run for the House seat, she was chief of the state attorney general's Policy and Government Relations Division.
"These are two very special communities that really deserve an experienced, active voice for them on Beacon Hill," she said of Melrose and Wakefield. "And I have spent almost my entire career in public service and working in government on behalf of families on education and public safety issues."
Seaboyer, a former union electrician who runs a photography business, said he has brought to the Melrose Board of Aldermen his background in construction and small business. Now, he said, "I'd like to bring that to the next step, to the State House." He said he would work to ensure Melrose and Wakefield "get their fair share of state resources."
Federico, a first-time candidate, is a compliance officer for the state Division of Capital Asset Management who formerly spent 30 years as an insurance underwriter for various firms. In Melrose, he has been active in political campaigns and as a longtime volunteer in youth sports and school organizations.
"I feel the state representative position requires a full-time person to do the job," he said. "I've recently started public service and I'd like to take it to the next level and become the state representative."
Hutchinson said that as a first-time candidate, "I can bring a fresh perspective." As someone who was "born and raised and went through the school system and own a business here in town, I think I'm a good representative of the community."
Gilson could not be reached for comment.
In the Eighth Essex District, Ehrlich and Blaisdell both are first-time candidates, but are known for their other work.
Ehrlich, a self-employed certified public accountant, is cofounder of two area environmental organizations: the Wenham Lake Watershed Association and HealthLink, a North Shore citizens group that works to eliminate toxins in the environment.
The Wenham Lake group identified and later helped ensure the cleanup of fly ash that was contaminating the lake, a reservoir that serves 80,000 in the region.
"We have some serious and pressing issues in each of the communities in the district that need immediate attention," she said. "I look forward to the chance to bring these issues to the State House on behalf of my district."
In addition to his years as a police officer, Blaisdell has been an Essex County correctional officer and a court officer. He currently has his own mortgage brokerage business and continues to work part time in the field.
"I have had a number of meetings with supporters and I'm just looking to bring my years of public service into the State House," he said.
Archilla could not be reached for comment.
