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Date: 4/19/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – The 2022 Annual Town Election set a record for lowest turnout in town history.
According to data collected by the town of South Hadley, this year’s election saw a total of 647 registered voters cast a ballot out of town’s 12,107 total registered voters, a 5.34 percent voter turnout. In the Annual Town Election last April, the town saw a 17 percent turnout rate and the March 2020 Annual Town Election brought 38.32 percent of registered voters to the polls.
In 2019, the town saw a 14.5 percent turnout while in 2018 it was up to 24 percent.
Town Clerk Carlene Hamlin told Reminder Publishing in advance of the election that interest from candidates had been lower and could be attributed to the positions available in the election. She added that in elections with more positions available for governing bodies such as the Selectboard or School Committee, the turnout would typically be higher to match that.
When speaking with Hamlin again post-election, she said she cannot pinpoint an exact reason behind this and nothing leading up to election day would have suggested such a historically low turnout.
“I’ve been in this position since 2009, I’ve been involved in South Hadley for over 23 years in a variety of positions and have never experienced anything like this before,” Hamlin said. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it.”
Hamlin added that while she cannot identify a specific reason for the low turnout, she noted that the ballot was not uncommon to years in the past where they have typically seen lower turnouts.
Christine McKiernan was re-elected for her seat on the Board of Health and received 454 total votes and newcomer Stephen Frantz was elected as a first timer running for the position. Johanna Ravenhurst, who was elected to a one-year term in 2021, did not seek re-election on the board.
On the Selectboard, Renee Sweeney was elected in an uncontested race and will be joining the board for a three-year term. The School Committee also saw new additions when Eric Friesner was elected to a three-year term in the unopposed race, while Lynda Pickbourn was elected to a one-year term.
In the race for the two three-year terms on the Municipal Light Board, Kurt Schenker and Paul Dobosh were elected while Ronal Couto placed third and did not receive a seat on the board. For the two-year term of the Light Board, Denise Presley ran unopposed and was elected.
The Municipal Light Board oversees the South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD) and responds directly to the needs and input of local residents and business owners. The Municipal Light Board also sets utility policy and oversees SHELD’s operations through the department’s manager.
Board of Assessors incumbent Thomas Reidy was re-elected for a three-year term as he ran unopposed. Joanna Brown was voted for re-election on the Planning Board as she also ran unopposed.
In the race for Trustees of the Public Library, incumbents Robert Berwick and Barbara Merchant ran unopposed and re-elected for three-year terms. There was also a third position available for Library Trustees which went to Gail Scanlon via write in votes. She received 66 write-in votes.