A Snapshot of the Election

The Town Elections have taken place and there were some positive results and some not so positive results. The following lists highlight the noteworthy aspects of the election.

Positive Results

• Voters approved all the usual town warrant articles.
• By a vote of 254 to 151, voters strongly approved warrant article 13, which combines the Town Clerk and Tax Collector into one elected position starting with the March 2017 election. This will eliminate the unwarranted meddling by the selectmen.
• By a vote of 261 to 141, voters overwhelmingly approved warrant article 15, which mandates that the selectmen get voter approval before creating and funding a new job position.
• Voters came to the rescue and filled four open town positions with write-in names, with tallies of 63 to 95 votes.

Not So Positive Results

• By a very close vote of 200 (YES) to 208 (NO), voters did not approve article 14, which would have increased the number of selectmen from 3 to 5. This was disappointing considering the 43% absentee rate for the current three selectmen.
• By another close vote of 204 (YES) to 191 (NO), voters picked the higher of the two school budget numbers. This is strange since the school budget will have a spend rate of $21,000 per elementary school student. For more details, see the School District Warrant Articles page.
• Voters approved raises for the school paraprofessionals. When this budget takes effect in July, the unemployed, under-employed, fixed income residents, and workers who have not received raises in years will have to dig deeper to pay the school taxes.
• In the race for selectman, the vote was almost evenly split between Lee and Eaton. Voters now need to demand that the new selectman fight for the people's interests, resist unwarranted influence or coercion from others, and pledge to not give in to the powers that be and not let them tell him how to vote.