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Date: 4/26/2022
WESTHAMPTON – The town’s beloved hand-cranked ballot box, built in 1936, will soon be in service for the town elections, scheduled for June 4 this year. As in past years, the struggle will be to fill all the open seats on the Finance Committee.
“The general bylaw calls for a 10-member Finance Committee,” said Town Clerk Katrin Kaminsky. “That is a huge number of members for a Finance Committee. It’s difficult to fill it.”
Steve Holt and Scott Stanton, residents of North and South streets respectively, are running for election to the Finance Committee. Holt is an incumbent. Both two year seats on the ballot do not yet have a candidate. Molly Butler and Bridget Diggins were nominated at the town’s caucus for two or three year terms, but declined to run.
In total, three seats lack candidates. “If no one comes forward,” Kaminsky said, “then there’s a vacancy on that board.” She said it’s very common for residents nominated at town caucus to refuse the candidacy. “It’s difficult to find volunteers.”
Brian Mulvehill and Michele Nevins refused a caucus nomination for library trustees. At this point, a pair of three year seats on the trustees have no candidates.
All other nominees from the caucus accepted the nomination, including the two candidates running for a Selectboard seat. Scott Johndrow of 29 Hathaway Dr. and Susan Bronstein of 72 Main Rd. will go head to head for a slot on the board. That seat is now occupied by Teri Anderson, who decided not to seek re-election.
Wade Clement and Jennifer Milikowsky are running for three year seats on the Planning Board, while North Road resident John Zimmerman seeks the one year seat. Clement and Zimmerman are incumbents. Zimmerman was appointed in November 2021.
Winnifred (Winnie) Gorman is running for a three year seat on the Board of Assessors. An incumbent, she is running for re-election.
Johndrow is also running for a seat on the school committee of the elementary school, as is Morley Cleary, a Southampton Road resident. Both are incumbents.
Kaminsky commented that there’s a lack of significant financial questions facing the town, so there isn’t much unusual about this election.
“There are no money questions,” Kaminsky said. “No debt exclusions on the ballot, so that’s nice.”
Benjamin Warren of Reservoir Road, the current moderator, seeks to run Town Meeting for another year. Perry Hill Road resident Thomas Jenkins also seeks to keep his current position as tree warden, a one year seat. Leroy Douchkoff of Montague Road is on the ballot for constable of the North District, a seat he also currently occupies.
Openings on boards and committees may still be filled by write in candidates. Kaminsky usually hears talk of write in candidates, but hasn’t yet this election cycle.
“Very often people will let the town clerk know if they were planning to ask people to write them in,” Kaminsky said. “I haven’t heard of anyone yet. Of course, the election is a little ways off.”
The election will take place at Town Hall on June 4, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.