By M. D. Drysdale

The two openings on the Randolph Selectboard are attracting no fewer than five candidates.

On the other hand, nobody will be on the Town Meeting ballot for moderator or for lister, and a school board position is going begging, too.

Monday was the deadline for filing petitions for including a candidate’s name on the Australian ballot at the March 4 Town Meeting.

Selectman Stephen Springer is stepping down this year. Also coming due is the board position currently occupied by Damon Lease. Lease was not elected but was appointed by the board last year after the resignation of Dawn Butterfield.

Lease has enjoyed being on the board and is running for election to that seat, which carries a three-year term. Also on the ballot will be Stephen Webster, who brings a long resume in public office. Webster served as town moderator for several years, as state representative and Orange County senator and even, briefly, as senate president pro-tem.

Springer’s seat, which carries a two-year term is being sought by three people, all of whom have considerable prior involvement with town activities:

• Paul Easton has been heavily involved in recreational affairs, particularly the skating rink;

• Carol Flint of East Randolph has been an active member of the Budget Committee;

• Joseph Voci stepped down this year as Randolph’s Superintendent of Public Works.

School Boards

The elementary school board, too, has a couple of openings, but only one person has expressed interest. Ann Black-Cone will be on the ballot to continue on the board for three years. There were no takers for the two-year school board slot, however.

At the high school level, Andrew Becker is unopposed as a candidate to continue his service as one of Randolph’s representatives to the three-town board.

Also running to succeed themselves are Elaine Soule, trustee of pulic funds, Tom Cooch, Kimball library trustee; and Richard Burstein, town agent and town grand juror.

On the important board of listers, Freeman Grout will not seek reëlection to his term, and no one filed a petition for the position.

As to the position of moderator, incumbent Peter Nowlan said he completed his petition just in time for a real estate closing in his office, and thus neglected to file the petition.

He won’t be on the ballot, but he’ll be a candidate anyway, he confirmed.