By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
BORDENTOWN CITY — With the deadline for filing to run for the City Commission just two weeks away, Mayor John Collom III has confirmed he will not be running for another term.
“I just feel I’ve served two terms and I don’t care to serve any more,” he said. “It should come as no surprise to anyone; after the 2005 election I said then, four years ago, ‘This is my last term.’”
Commissioners James Lynch and John Wehrman have said they will both file for another term.
Under the city’s nonpartisan commission form of government, the three positions are all up for re-election every four years. According to city tradition, commission members choose the mayor from among themselves, and the position normally goes to the candidate who received the most votes.
Interested parties have until 4 p.m. March 19 to file for a spot on the ballot. They must first pick up a packet from Clerk Patricia Ryan at the City Hall, 324 Farnsworth Ave., which contains the necessary forms and related information.
Only registered voters who have lived in the city for at least a year may file to run. Prospective candidates are also asked if they have been convicted of a crime, and if so, what it was.
Even if someone has been convicted, “that does not preclude you from being on the ballot,” Ms. Ryan said. “But depending on the level of the crime, it could preclude you from actually taking office.”
Completed packets can be dropped off at the clerk’s office.

