Town councilor reveals he won’t run for mayor; another says he won’t run at all

By JACK ENCARNACAO
The Patriot Ledger

WEYMOUTH - Weymouth’s political landscape changed slightly Wednesday as a town councilor revealed he is not running for mayor, and another said he will not seek election to any office.

Town Councilor Kevin Whitaker said he will not be running for mayor, narrowing to two the number of town councilors who have not ruled out a bid for Weymouth mayor.

Also, Town Councilor Greg Shanahan disclosed he will not run for re-election. Shanahan’s decision comes a little more than a month after he said he would vacate his district councilor seat to run for councilor-at-large.

Whitaker’s decision leaves Michael Molisse and Sue Kay as the only two members of the 11-member council who have not ruled out a mayoral campaign.

Both Shanahan and Whitaker cited personal and professional opportunities as reasons for their decisions.

‘‘Weymouth deserves a mayor committed to giving 100 percent all the time,’’ Whitaker wrote in a statement. ‘‘For me, the needed commitment requires forgoing too many personal and professional opportunities.’’

Whitaker said he will seek re-election as a councilor-at-large.

Shanahan told The Patriot Ledger on Wednesday that personal and educational pursuits will overwhelm his ability to serve as an elected official.

‘‘One of the things I’ve always prided myself on is being a responsible councilor who can dedicate the right amount of time to doing the job,’’ he said. ‘‘I think these days I have personal and educational pursuits that would impede that.’’

Shanahan, a director of administrative operations at the Norfolk County district attorney’s office, said he is pursuing a graduate degree in public affairs at Suffolk University.

Shanahan was elected to the council in November 2003 and represented his native North Weymouth as a District 1 councilor.

In addition to Shanahan, councilor-at-large Jack Carey will not seek re-election his year.

It won’t be clear until Aug. 14 who will run for the vacant council seats.

Mayoral and council candidates have until Aug. 14 to submit signatures to be eligible for the September preliminary.

Mayoral candidates must gather 150 signatures - 25 from each of the town’s six districts - to be placed on the primary ballot. The top two vote-getters in the preliminary face off in the November election.

Residents must register by Aug. 29 to vote in the preliminary election. They must register by Oct. 17 to vote in the general election.

Jack Encarnacao may be reached at jencarnacao@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, August 02, 2007