Updated May 05, 2015 03:39PM

Adams and Cheshire See Low Voter Turnout

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Voter turnout was low at the Adams town election with the Parks Commission having the only contested seats.

ADAMS, Mass. — Only 7 percent of registered voters came out to the polls Monday in Adams for the annual town election.

At 3 p.m., only 272 voters had passed through the polls. Unofficial numbers showed by the end of the day that out of 5,624 voters, only 412 cast ballots.

Out of the 10 open seats, including two selectman positions, most incumbents ran unchallenged and most newcomers ran unopposed.

The only actual race was for three seats on the Parks Commission: incumbents James Fassell and Todd Shafer were re-elected along with newcomer Jason Sniezek; challenger Michael Meczywor was defeated.

However, the race was close with a vote spread of only 22 between the highest and lowest vote-getters. Fassell received the most with 275 votes, followed by Shafer with 267; Sniezek  was close behind with 261, and Meczywor earned 253.

Cheshire also saw low numbers with only 108 voters voting by 3 p.m

By the close of voting, only 159, or less than 7 percent, of the town's 2,247 voters bothered to cast ballots. Cheshire had no contested seats and all candidates were incumbents.

The question to change the moderator from a one-year term to a three-year term passed with 116 ayes, 38 nayes and five blanks. The changes will take place at the next annual election.

Peter Traub received 29 write-in votes for an open seat on the Planning Board.

In the annual kindergarten election, held as a civics lesson for the town's youngsters, the 28 children in Robin Poirot and Heather Emerson's classes cast their votes on a specialized ballot.

The winner was one of the popular minions from "Despicable Me" with 10 votes, followed by Baymax the robot from "Big Hero 6" with eight votes; Olaf the reindeer and Tinker Bell tied with five votes each.


Tags: election 2015,   town elections,   


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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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