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According to the town’s Important Dates communications which I seem to receive weekly (and I appreciate that, by the way), we are about to enter the exciting yard sign season. I realize I am on a slippery slope given I have had a Friends of the Library sign up for a while now, am about 6 weeks from putting up the Pollinator Pathway sign (those bumbles need road signs) and have a nice assortment of past yard signs in my garage. If anyone wants my advice, please skip shades of green — I have room for some cyan or maybe a nice hot pink in the yard sign menagerie.

Warrant articles are due Friday March 3–by now, any warranters should be pretty far along their path of writing them. This is not AP English where we cram the writing in at 2 am on Friday morning.

The start of yard sign season is not, in fact, the warrant articles. It is this final week before Town Caucus which takes place this year on Monday, March 6 at 7 pm when you, resident and voter of Weston, decide if you have what it takes to be a volunteer running for election in town. It is when you consider the time, effort, and value of adding your voice and your evenings, days and weekends to the public arena, which is, as may of us have discovered, not always nice.

These are the roles up for the vote in 2023. Please note that these roles may or may not have incumbents running for another term but even incumbents are nominated at Caucus. Also note that you can be nominated by submitting nomination papers (see below) but Caucus is the “easiest” way:

There is at least one critical volunteer role that will not have an incumbent re-nominate this year, and I suspect several though I am not going to confirm it until I sit in my uncomfortable chair at Town Hall. School Committee will have an open spot. It hurts my heart that this spot will be open but I understand it.

Will Select Board have an open position or will the incumbent run again? Would you run if it did? What about Planning Board or any of the other committees? Will there be donuts? Will Knox put in an appearance? Why does Maynard get a comfort dog and we don’t? Many many questions to be answered. I will put everyone out of their anxiety and state that I will not be seeking re-election as a Measurer of Lumber.

I cannot recommend Caucus highly enough. It is always interesting to see who nominates who for a position (and by the way, you can nominate yourself, though you cannot both nominate and second yourself). I am always disappointed with turnout–I cannot imagine how you can miss the night of nominations. It’s like the night the Oscar contenders get released. It’s draft night. It’s the best thing you can do on a Monday.

You can always submit papers to get on the election ballot but the easiest way to get on it is to be nominated on Caucus night. You can learn more about all this stuff on the Town pages here.

Weston Caucus: Monday, March 6 at 7 pm, Town Hall Auditorium.