The upcoming Tewksbury town elections continue to develop more intrigue, as news of a second Select Board member leaving office filters out.

Earlier last week, the Lowell Sun reported Jayne Wellman would be stepping down as of January 17th, citing the added demands of her new job as Reading Assistant Town Manager and the fact her family was moving to Salem, NH.

That announcement comes on the heels of Mark Kratman announcing at the January 7th meeting that he would not seek re-election in the upcoming election.

Kratman cited medical issues and the need to prioritize his health, while also leaving the door open to a return to in the future.

“I love this town, I love everything I do for this town,” Kratman said near the end of the board meeting. “I don’t intend to run for re-election this year. I need to take a break. Not saying I won’t be back, but I really need to focus on my health.”

Kratman’s pending trial for his 3rd OUI offense is currently slated for 2/5/2024 after numerous delays over the last 5 years.

Nomination papers for the April 5 annual town election became available January 6th, the day before Kratman’s announcement. Already, three candidates have pulled papers; Tom Bowley, Lindsey Dunleavy and Ryan Lloyd.

The upcoming Tewksbury election was the main topic of conversation during my appearance yesterday with Teddy Panos on the InsideLowell Daily Pulse podcast. Needless to say, with no incumbents vying for the two Select Board seats, this shapes up to be one of most important elections in years, an election we’ll be following closely on our InsideTewksbury platform here and on podcasts.