Town Clerk: Watertown Will be Ready for Special Senate Election

Watertown will run two extra elections this year, and Town Clerk John Flynn said he and his staff will be ready for the special elections to choose a successor to John Kerry in the U.S. Senate after he was named Secretary of State this week.

The special election will be held June 25, and if a primary is needed (which seems likely with two Democrats - Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch - saying they will run) will be held April 30.

The cost would not be insignificant to the town. Flynn said it would cost around $32,000 to run the two elections. The last time Massachusetts had a special senate election, Watertown and communities across the state received some help.

"The last time there was a vacancy in the senate, with the death of Edward Kennedy, the Commonwealth did pay the town to run those elections," Flynn said.

No word yet whether similar help will be provided.

Flynn will also have to make sure the polls are staffed by election volunteers. He is not worried about getting word out about the election, because people have been talking about the potential of Kerry leaving for months.

"The question that people had was, 'Do we have dates for the election?' We got that when Sec. (of State William) Galvin and the governor came up with dates," Flynn said. "We’ll be ready."