Photo: Belmont Town Election will be held on April 7, 2026.

With a handful of minutes remaining before the Feb. 18 deadline for candidates to submit nomination papers for the 2026 Town Election, Carole Berberian was in the Town Clerk’s office anxiously waiting for the 5 p.m. cutoff to arrive.

Berberian wasn’t in the office submitting papers to run for the soon-to-be vacant seat on the Select Board; she had done that a while back. Her concern was whether someone else would be an 11th-hour challenger to her run for the office.

The rumor – that someone heard from someone else around town – was that some residents were “unhappy” Berberian was about to waltz into the post being vacated by Elizabeth Dionne. The scuttlebutt was that a “new face” would be introduced onto the ballot as a “dramatic gesture,” hiding their intentions from Berberian by obtaining nomination papers from the Secretary of State’s office, rather than going to the Belmont Town Clerk. 

But any last-second drama fizzled out when no one walked through the doors. After the Belmont Town Hall front doors were closed, long-time Town Moderator Mike Widmer turned to Berberian and offered his “congratulations” to the Herbert Road resident on being Belmont’s next Select Board member. 

In a lackluster year for Belmont politics, Berberian will not be the only candidate to find an unencumbered path to public office. For better or worse for Belmont’s body politic, voters will have just a single town-wide race to decide in the upcoming election on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Incumbent Mike Crowley and former Select Board member Adam Dash will battle it out for the influential Town Moderator position. 

BELMONT ANNUAL TOWN ELECTION BALLOT

Town Moderator Vote for not more than one for 1 Year

• Michael F. Crowley, Farnham Street, Candidate for re-election
• Adam Dash, Goden Street

Select Board Vote for not more than one for 3 Years

• Carol Ann Kennedy Berberian, Herbert Road

Board of Cemetery Commissioners Vote for not more than one for 3 Years

• Alexander E. Corbett, III, Alexander Avenue, candidate for re-election

Board of Health Vote for not more than one for 3 Years

• Stephen M. Fiore, Van Ness Road, candidate for re-election

Members of the Housing Authority Vote for not more than one for 5 Years

• Anne B. Mahon, Livermore Road, Candidate for re-election

Trustees of the Public Library Vote for not more than two for 3 Years

• Martha Saillant Brown, Horne Road
• Sally M. Martin, Oak Street

Municipal Light Board Vote for not more than one for 3 Years

• Andrew Machado, Waverley Street, Candidate for re-election

School Committee Vote for not more than two for 3 Years

• Jung Yueh, Waverley Street, candidate for re-election
• Amy A. Zuccarello, Elizabeth Road, Candidate for re-election

The lack of interest of residents to run for town-wide office is seen in seeking to be a representative on Belmont Town Meeting: only three of the eight precincts will have competitive contests. The most competitive race will be in Precinct 2, where seven candidates are running for four open seats and one write-in for a one-year term. 

• Precinct 1: 10 candidates for 12 seats 
• Precinct 2: 15 candidates for 12 seats and two write-ins for two one-year terms 
• Precinct 3: 9 candidates for 12 seats, two write-ins for two one-year terms; 
• Precinct 4: 12 candidates for 12 seats. 
• Precinct 5: 12 candidates for 12 seats. One write-in for a one-year term. 
• Precinct 6: 14 candidates for 12 seats. 
• Precinct 7: 9 candidates for 12 seats, one write-in for a one-year term. 
• Precinct 8: 13 candidates for 12 seats.