Lawrence Holds Off Challenger; Fields Wins Write-In
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Select Board Chairwoman Sheila Lawrence hung on to her seat for another three years, easily defeating challenger Karl Belouin 171-113. The board will see a new face, however, as Helen Fields' write-in campaign garnered 57 votes to win her a vacant two-year seat.
The Select Board had the only race this year; all other incumbents were running unopposed, including Daniel Tatro for a one-year seat on the Select Board. Tatro had been appointed to replace Bruce C. Robare, who resigned.
"We really had a great turnout," said Town Clerk Nancy Bushika, who also ran unchallenged for her three-year position.
Also returning to office are William Levine, town and school moderator, each for one year; Bushika, town treasurer, three years; Ron Plock, lister, three years; Daniel G. Trudeau, lister, two years; Sally A. Bohl, collector of delinquent taxes, one year; Lucille Braman, cemetery commissioner, five years; Paula Nickerson Plock, library trustee, five years; Cynthia M. Lamore, school director, three years; Janice A. Farinon, school director, two years; and Jeremy R. Sullivan-Bol, school director, one year.
No one ran for the three open auditor seats, the grand juror position or town agent.
Some 308 of 563 registered voters, or 55 percent, participated in the local election, and 301 in the primary. Nearly a quarter of the town's voters had cast ballots by about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Only a couple people were voting then, but poll worker Rosemarie Curran said the numbers "were fairly decent. It's seems to be steady and we've had a variety of people [in terms of age].
Most voters had been requesting Democratic ballots, poll workers said; Vermont voters do not have to be registered in a party to vote in its primary. Also available was the Liberty Union ballot - Brian Moore of the state of Florida was the only name on it.
The Democrats had been busy the last couple weeks calling households across Vermont, signifying the importance of this small state and its 15 delegates in this history-making battle for the nomination.
Taped phone calls from Clinton, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Clinton's daughter Chelsea, and former Gov. Madeleine Kuhnin, co-chairman of Clinton's Vermont campaign, ended up on answering machines around the region. An enthusiastic Obama supporter was dialing into the evening on Sunday, describing what "a wonderful man" the young senator was.
When the tallying ended last night, the majority of the primary votes had been cast in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination. Stamford bucked the trend in Vermont, which went overwhelmingly for Obama with 60 percent of the vote. Instead, Clinton received 115 votes to Obama's 96.
Clinton had also done extremely well in neighboring Northern Berkshire in the Massachusetts primary voting last month, and had won the state.
Not surprisingly, Arizona's McCain won Stamford along with the rest of the state, handily beating Arkansas Gov. Michael Huckabee 60-13 and taking the state with three-quarters of the vote. McCain was expected to be endorsed by President Bush today.
The Democratic battle for the nomination heads to Wyoming and Mississippi next week.
