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Punderson, Thorpe win preliminary election, look to December

Date: 11/26/2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

EAST LONGMEADOW — The stage is now set for two showdowns to decide the next two selectmen in East Longmeadow.

Peter Punderson and Angela Thorpe were the top vote-getters in the Nov. 20 special preliminary election to determine who would run for Board of Selectmen Chair James Driscoll's seat on Dec. 31.

Punderson garnered the most votes of any candidate with 824.

"I'm humbled," he said. "To me, to be supported by the community and to be looked at as a leader is a great honor. I'm looking forward to the next part of the election and I'm going to keep getting my message out, which is to get the highest and best use out of our resources and to have a cohesive relationship with the other board members."

Thorpe claimed the other spot on the ballot with 721 votes.

"I'm so elated and so honored," she said. "I'm very excited to have the opportunity to move on."

Thorpe noted that she was especially thankful to voters for taking the time to vote during such a busy time of year.

"I have to thank all of the voters who came out two days before Thanksgiving," she said. "This time of year, taking the time is a sacrifice and it's one that they made for the betterment of the town."

Joseph Townshend received 664 votes, while Nicholas Chiusano captured 399 votes. There were also 530 blanks and 110 write-ins.

The turnout of 14.3 percent was on the higher end of what Town Clerk Thomas Florence said he expected.

"I said that 15 percent would be the most I would hope to see realistically and we almost got there," he said. "I think that having four people on the ballot with all of their supporters helped push attendance up."

Punderson and Thorpe will now face off for the right to finish Driscoll's term, which expires in April 2013. Driscoll, who originally announced plans to resign in July before former Selectman Enrico "Jack" Villamaino's Aug. 22 resignation in the midst of a voter fraud scandal involving his candidacy for state representative for the Second Hampden District, sent a letter to Florence stating his intentions to leave tbe board immediately following the election.

Debra Boronski will run on the ballot for Villamaino's seat, which carries a term that expires in 2014. She will be opposed by Bryan Doe, who announced he will run a write-in campaign.

Florence said that he anticipated an even higher turnout for the Dec. 18 special election, despite the fact that is so close to the holidays.

"That was a concern of mine, but the selectmen wanted to do [the election] before Christmas," he said. "I think with the importance of the two races and the candidates involved, they will be able to get out to the public and draw people in. We could get 15 percent or higher.

"I also believe that for a lot of people, with what happened in this town over the summer, this is the final step in putting it behind us and people will want to be a part of that," he added.

Punderson said he now plans to become more active in his campaigning in order to try to gain the support of those who voted for candidates who did not move on, stating he had already been in Precinct 1, which he failed to win, the morning after the primary.

"I'm definitely going to become more visible. I didn't do as much for the primary because I didn't want to be so outward that people would say, 'Man, I'm just tired of him,'" he said. "My campaign is going to be doing a lot of calling and going door to door to talk with the people."

Thorpe said that while she has maintained an open-door policy with residents regarding her candidacy, including having an open phone line — 525-2068 — dedicated to her campaign, she also planned to increase her efforts in advance of Dec. 18.

"The work starts now," she said. "I want to touch as many people as I can to get them up to speed on the issues and get them involved in the voting process."

Thorpe said she planned to host several round table and "chat and chew" sessions where she would "just listen to what the people have to say."