By SANDY McGEE

BLACKSTONE — Another milestone of the local election process passed last week with the return of candidate’s nomination papers for this spring’s town-wide vote.

Several residents, incumbents and well-known former town officials have returned their papers in order to have their names placed on this year’s election ballot. The town election will be held on April 7.
Candidates may remove themselves from the race anytime between now until the deadline to withdraw on March 5.
Several seats, including two unexpired terms, are available on the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee. The School Committee positions opened after the resignations of members Mark Almquist and Robert J. Kluchevitz.
Kluchevitz’s School Committee term was set to expire in 2010. Almquist’s term was scheduled to conclude in 2011. Candidates elected to the vacated positions will only serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
Michael Buckley of Blackstone, formerly of Millville, has returned his nomination papers for the vacated School Committee seats. He took out papers last week for both unexpired terms.
According to Town Clerk Marianne E. Staples, Buckley will need to withdraw from one of the unexpired terms before the deadline on March 5.
Candidates are required by state law to not have their name placed on more than one seat on the same board or committee on the election ballot. If Buckley does not withdraw from one of the seats before the deadline, according to Staples, his name will be removed from the ballot.
Buckley, a longtime town moderator for Millville and former member of the School Committee, was arrested in 2003 during an undercover prostitution sting conducted by the Woonsocket Police Department.
He pleaded no contest to the charge of solicitation from a motor vehicle for an indecent purpose and was sentenced by a Providence judge to six months probation.
Buckley recently created a campaign Web site, located at mjbuckley.org/, which asks residents to discuss issues affecting the local school district.
“This election is about issues,” writes Buckley on the Web site. “I believe that it is very important that in the upcoming weeks, we focus on the multitude of issues that the School District will face in the coming weeks, months and years … I believe with my experience and background, I can be of help during this crucial time.”
Also running for the unexpired term on the School Committee, which is set to expire in 2010, is Peter J. Olson and Catherine A. Frend.
Daniel T. Doyle, a local attorney and former town administrator, and Diane C. Robin have also returned papers to run for the other vacated School Committee term, which is set to expire in 2011.
Doyle served as the town administrator from 1983 to 1990. He is also a current member of the board of directors for the Blackstone Boys and Girls Club.
A current member of the School Committee is running for re-election to the board. Incumbent Lynn M. Landry has returned papers to run for her second full-term on the School Committee. Landry, a registered nurse, has served on the regional board since 2004.
A race for two separate, full-term seats on the Blackstone Board of Selectmen is heating up. If elected to either full-term, the members will each serve three years on the board.
Incumbents Constance D. Perreault, who currently serves as chair of the five-member board, and the board’s clerk and longtime member Robert J. Dubois have both returned their nomination papers.
Dubois has served on the Board of Selectmen since 1986, including serving as chairman from 1992 to 2002.
“I have served during the good times and the bad, and right now we are going through very difficult financial times,” wrote Dubois in a recent press release. “I believe that with my experience, we can get through this if we work together.”
Dubois has also hired Sharon Beaulieu to serve as his campaign manager and Patricia Maxwell as campaign treasurer.
Challenging the two incumbents are Jacalyn G. Miner and John M. Wozniak, an attorney who practices law in Milford, Mass. Both Miner and Wozniak have returned their nomination papers to run for a full-term on the Board of Selectmen.
An unexpired term on the Board of Selectmen, recently vacated with the resignation of Kluchevitz, is also up for grabs.
The candidate elected to this post will only serve the remainder of the term, which is set to expire in 2009. The elected individual will be required to run again for the position next year.
Thomas J. Bik, former chairman of the Planning Board, and Hubert N. Arsenault, a member of the Cable Advisory Committee, have both returned papers for the unexpired selectmen term.
Former longtime member of the Board of Selectmen, Charles J. Sawyer, has also returned his papers to run for the unexpired term. Sawyer served on the Board of Selectmen from 1995 until losing to Kluchevitz in the 2007 election.
Returning nomination papers to run unopposed are the following individuals: Carole A. Whiteley, who is running for re-election to the Tax Assessor board; Lynn J. Morin, re-election to the Blackstone Housing Authority; and William T. Walsh, re-election to the Board of Health.
Newcomer Yvette G. Remillard of Blackstone, a longtime registered nurse, has returned her papers to run for the unexpired term on the Board of Health. The seat was left vacant after the recent resignation of board member Kevin J. Ryan.
Also running for town posts are Town Moderator Frederick J. Stone, who has returned his papers for another three-year term, and Paul E. Marvelle, who has obtained papers to run for a five-year term on the Blackstone Planning Board. Both Stone and Marvelle are running unopposed.
A race has also begun for a three-year term on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Both Gary James DelGizzi and incumbent member Kathleen Joyce have returned papers for the single seat. The term is set to expire in 2011.