As the summer rolls in, it’s not just the weather that’s heating up. It’s also the true beginning of election season in Clinton as the parties begin to form their slates.

Clinton residents will formally learn which candidates will be on the November ballot at the end of next month. While the different political parties are working on finalizing their slates, the official party endorsements are due to the town clerk on Wednesday, July 28. Both the Republican Town Committee and Democratic Town Committee will be holding their caucuses on Thursday, July 22.

Though it does not hold a caucus, the Clinton Green Party usually announces its slate around the same time.

At the caucuses, the party formally nominates and endorses candidates for each seat. Should any member want to force a primary election of an endorsed candidate, primary forms must be filled out by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Local elections don’t generate the same buzz or turnout that presidential or midterm elections do, but they are still critically important to the day-to-day life of Clinton citizens. Arguably, they could be even more important.

For example, some of the issues that will be determined by the 2021 election include who will be able to set town policies and determine the direction the town will go in by holding a majority on the Town Council. Those same members are the ones who get to determine if the town manager gets another contract, the people who are responsible for managing the fiscal well-being of the town, well as deciding who gets to serve on appointed boards and commissions.

Beyond the council, voters will also elect the people who will determine the curriculum for students in the school system, the people who get to approve or deny prospective development in town, and the people who oversee the Police Department.

It’s likely that all of those positions will make policy decisions over the next term that will affect the lives of Clinton residents for years to come.

Per the town clerk, the seats that will be contested this fall include three seats on the Town Council, four seats on the Board of Education, two seats and one alternate on the Board of Assessment Appeals, five full and two alternate seats on the Planning & Zoning Commission, three full and two alternate Board of Zoning Appeals seats, and three seats on the Board of Police Commissioners.