Kushakji Will Not Be on Ballot for School Committee
Although School Committee member Michael Kushakji returned papers on time, he will not be on the ballot next month.
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School Committee member Michael Kushakji did return papers on time, however, some of his 50 signatures were not legible, according to Town Clerk Barbara Stats.
Kushakji turned in what appeared to be plenty of signatures, but some of them were not readable, Stats said. They have to legible and easy to identify, she explained. The signatures that were not readable were rejected.
Given that Kushakji did not get 50 certifiable signatures, his name will not be on the ballot at the April 30 election. However, that does not mean that he cannot be elected to the School Committee.
He can still run as a write-in candidate, Stats said. That also opens the door for anyone else to run as a write-in candidate, she said.
The proper way to run as a write-in would be to go in to the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall and declare yourself as an official write-in candidate, Stats said. The candidate would benefit from the publicity of being an official write-in.
"More than anything it would show that they are serious about running for the position," Stats said.
There is an option for a sticker campaign, which would allow voters to place a sticker on the ballot to vote for a write-in candidate. Otherwise, voters can write the candidates name on the ballot, and essentially, a write-in may only need one vote to win. Unless there are several write-in candidates and then the one with the most votes would win.
Joe Veno
8:04 pm on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Very interesting. My question is. How serious can an incumbent be about getting re-elected when he/she does not get extra signatures to be sure there are 50 signatures that can be certified..
Batman
9:55 pm on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Joe,
Dont' speak out of ignorance. I heard he had 84 votes, and 40 were negated to illegible signatures.
You have a guy that has committed an extensive amount of his own and free time and you are trying to discount his effort. Just think we have two school committee members running un-apposed, you would think the town would welcome all volunteers. Maybe you should run. I will right your name in.
Joe Veno
7:25 am on Monday, March 25, 2013
Batman (Who ever you are) although it may be true i find it very hard to believe that 40 out 0f 84 signatures were disqualified. Also they are not "votes" as you stated they are signatures (And you told me not to speak out of ignorance) to get on the ballot. Go ahead and write me in if you would like
Batman
5:11 pm on Monday, March 25, 2013
I guess that's the crazy town we live in. We employ too many people at Town Hall, maybe they have to validate their existence. By counting each ballot individually.
Well, Maybe you should ask Mr. Kushakji the facts of what actually happened, which at this point seems asinine.
I believe he is available by phone or e-mail. From speaking to him last week, he told me that he plans to run a write in campaign with stickers and email.
Batman
9:32 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013
Mr. Kushakji officially announced as a write in campaign. As a friend of Mr. K's, I am endorsing him. He is the right person for the job. He cares about enhancing the children's education.
Please write his name in under school committee election day. Yes it took me 10 years to figure out how to spell his last name. Good Luck!
Mary
8:40 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2013
Since both candidates are write-ins, would either like to comment on the implications for the budget for the school suspension/expulsion legistation that is to go into effect on 7/1/14? P.S., there is no circuit breaker associated with this legislation.
Michael Kushakji
4:24 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Hi Mary,
I think the law makes sense, but you are right, Who will pay for the additional expenses incurred if payment is required.
My thought is that, it is very rare that North Reading enforces a very long-term suspension It will take a couple of suspensions and payments for the District to find out what the costs are to the District and how to ask for additional monies from the state.
So, my position is to take a wait and see attitude.
Mary
10:08 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Define "long-term suspensions" per the new regulation. NR had a student suspended subsequent to the bullet casing incident, and my 11th grader told me student who wasn't attending (allowed to attend) school because of a protective order filed by another student. Since there is no school choice, who was responsible for educating these students under the new regulation? Would Reading or Andover enroll these students? Would any school enroll a student (even @ NR expense) for a violation assocated with an issue involving school safety? Do the drill down. How many students have been suspended for more than 5 days in the last 5 years - and what was the reason. What is the average cost for an out-of-district placement PLUS transportation for a student who might need such placement (even for 2 weeks - which I would consider "short-term" AND enforceable) b/c a neighboring town wouldn't enroll a student who could potentially pose a risk to their students. I do not think there is a mechanism to request reimbursement from DESE - no circuit breaker-type relief associated with this legislation -costs rest soley with the district. There is a potential for fiscal impact and should be on the entire school committee's radar. Thank you for your response - you have, and Mr. Veno has not. You a nibble and should consider a little more homework. I will also forward the link to this article to Mrs. Imbriano -and from what I know about her, she will do the research on the legislation.