Walter Zenkin, who has been a member of the Burlington Board of Selectmen for six years, informed Burlington Patch this week he is currently collecting signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot for the 21st Middlesex District with a view to ousting current State Rep. Charles Murphy, D-Burlington, this fall.

The Twenty-first Middlesex districts consists of the towns of Bedford and Burlington, and precinct three of Wilmington.

Zenkin said he is running to represent the "pulse of the local communities" in the State House.

"I feel like I've been a proven leader, someone who is approachable and works on common sense," he said. "I hope to bring my experience as a town official to the state level and represent the towns as best I can. I want to take the pulse of communities to state level."

"I’ve always felt like I wanted to run," Zenkin added. "The timing is good for me now and this is something I feel like I want to do."

As well as serving on the Board of Selectmen, Zenkin was also a Town Meeting member for eight years and was on the Capital Budget committee for five years (chair for three years).

When asked about his opponent, Rep. Murphy, Zenkin said there will be plenty of time in the debates before November to get into the differences in policy and ideas. For now, he said, he is looking to collect the necessary 150 signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot.

Zenkin said he originally planned to run without a party affiliation, but due to a mix-up in paperwork at the Peabody Town Clerk's office he missed the deadline to run un-enrolled. Becoming a member of the GOP allowed him more time to get the signatures and make a run for the seat.