SHREWSBURY – When Shrewsbury residents cast their ballots on May 2, there will be three contested races among the four they will be voting on.
The nomination period closed March 14. Candidates have until March 30 to withdraw from their race.
Select Board
At the top of the ballot, five candidates will be vying for two seats on the Select Board. There will be at least one new board member, as Chair Moe DePalo announced in December he would not be seeking re-election.
Incumbent Beth Casavant will be seeking a third term on the Select Board.
Among her challengers will be James V. Brown, who serves as chair of the Parks and Cemetery Commission; Siobhan Costello-Weber; Town Meeting and Finance Committee member Carlos Garcia; and Rajesh Uppalapati, who ran for the board in 2022.
School Committee
There are three candidates running for two seats on the School Committee. There will be at least one new committee member, as member Jason Palitsch opted not to seek another term.
Incumbent Sandra Fryc is seeking her sixth term on the School Committee, having first been elected in 2008. She has also been an elected Town Meeting member since 2003.
Rachel L. Sharifipour is one of two challengers. She is presently president of the Beal School PTO, and is the former president of Paton and Parker Road. Rajesh Velagapudi, who is also running, currently serves as a member of the Community Preservation Committee.
Housing Authority
The third contested race is for one seat on the Shrewsbury Housing Authority.
Incumbent Kathleen McSweeney is running for a second term. She is being challenged by Anand Sharma.
Library Board of Trustees
There are three seats up for grabs on the Library Board of Trustees and just three candidates. Incumbents Elizabeth Powers and April Price are assured of re-election. They will be joined by newcomer Barbara Trudel.
For more information on the election, visit https://shrewsburyma.gov/1079/2023-Annual-Town-Election
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Rajesh Uppalapati was the president of the Beal PTO; Rachel L. Sharifipour is the president.
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