Buckley Qualifies for Seekonk Selectmen Race

There are two official candidates as of Monday afternoon in the contest for one Seekonk Board of Selectmen seat, and there will likely be a third candidate in the race by the middle of the week.

Seekonk native and Board of Assessors member Paul Buckley qualified for the ballot late last week when Town Clerk Jan Parker confirmed his candidacy papers included signatures from at least 50 local residents. Buckley was also a candidate in the September special election for one selectmen seat. He lost in a close contest to Nelson Almeida .

"This is a different race," Buckley told Seekonk Patch last month. "I think there's some momentum for me and I want to continue with it. I want to see if I can win in a different type of atmosphere."

Incumbent Francis Cavaco, who has been on the board since 2008, qualified for the ballot several weeks ago and announced his intention to run in October.

"I have work to do for the town that I have not completed," said Cavaco told Patch in October. "There are still things that need to get done in this town, and the fixes can't always be done quickly."

Former Selectman Mike Brady said he would submit his papers Tuesday. He pulled papers in late December, but has waited to return them because municipal rules prevent him from being a candidate and remain on the Finance Committee. He wanted to attend as many finance meetings as possible prior to the submittal deadline, which is next Monday.

Michael DelRosso, whose grandfather is a former selectman, pulled papers in November. Town Hall observers do not expect him to return them.

Cavaco's seat is the only selectmen position being contested on Election Day, which is April 1. The ballot will also include elections for school committee, planning board, water commission, library board and board of assessors.