Melrose Election Season Begins To Take Shape

MELROSE, MA — An election six months away started to take shape Monday, the first day candidates announced their intentions by pulling papers at City Hall.

Many dominoes are still to fall, but we learned at least two new city councilors will be sworn in next year. Cory Thomas said he will not run for re-election in Ward 7, citing in a Facebook post a desire to spend more time with his family. Ryan Williams, who lost to Thomas by four votes in 2019, announced he'll be running again.

John Tramontozzi also took to Facebook to say he won't be running for re-election. "It’s time to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders," he said. Tramontozzi is by far the longest-serving member of the City Council, putting 16 years into the job.

Manjula Karamcheti previously announced she'll run for Tramontozzi's seat.

In Wards 2 and 3, neither Councilors Jeff McNaught nor Robb Stewart pulled papers. No one else did, either.

At-Large Councilors Leila Migliorelli, Jack Eccles, Maya Jamaleddine and Chris Cinella all pulled papers, as did Ward 4 Councilor Mark Garipay, Ward 5 Councilor Shawn MacMaster and Ward 6 Councilor Jen Grigoraitis. No challengers made their intentions known Monday.

School Committee Chair Jen McAndrew also pulled papers.

Monday does not necessarily mean much. McNaught, Stewart and any number of potential challengers could pull papers any day.

But incumbents who aren't quick to announce their intentions could be waiting to see how the field shakes out. Tramontozzi, for instance, knew he'd have to campaign if he chose to run again.

The next step after pulling papers is gathering signatures. Ward councilors need 20 to get on the ballot, while at-large councilors and School Committee members need 50.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook