ADAMS, Mass. — Voters returned the only incumbent on the ballot to the Board of Selectmen but gave the highest number of votes to a political newcomer. 

 

James Bush won one of the two selectman seats with 695 votes, edging out two-term Selectman John Duval for the most votes. Coming in third was another newcomer, Heather Cachat Blake, who polled 355; running out of the money was former Selectman Donald Sommer with 308 and Wayne Piaggi, who withdrew but was still on the ballot, with 39 votes. 

 

"I'm back on my board for my third term," said Duval, who with Bush was waiting at the town garage for the results. "I'm excited that the community still supports me and the next three years, my goal is to make things happen and see things to completion."

 

Bush said he'd been at the polls since before they opened 7 a.m., staking out a small slice of the sidewalk with his signs. 

 

"I'm very excited that the townspeople stood behind me, voted for me," he said. "It's a great feeling but it's been a long day."

 

There was little controversy this election, and no major issues that defined the four-way race. Duval and Bush both congratulated each other. 

 

"I'm glad to have Jim join us and he's going to be an excellent addition to the board," Duval said. "This year, we'll have five members after having four for a year. Five makes a big difference for us."

 

The Board of Selectmen's been short a member since the resignation of Arthur "Skip" Harrington a year ago. His departure came to late to place the final year of his term on the ballot and the board determined to run short for a year rather than hold a special election. 

 

Bush's first meeting will be Wednesday and he stayed at the polls long enough for Town Clerk Haley Meczywor to swear him in. 

 

"I'm looking forward to working with the board and congratulations to John," he said. "He's a great guy and I'm really happy to be working with him and the rest of the board."

 

Turnout was about 19 percent, picking up a little from earlier in the afternoon when it hovered around 11. Some 1,131 ballots were cast out of 5,863 voters. 

 

There were no other races on the ballot: elected unopposed were Haley Meczywor, town clerk; Myra Wilk, moderator; Lisa Gazaille, Planning Board member; Bruce Shepley, Cemetery Commission and Board of Health; Donna A. MacDonald, assessor; James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko, library trustees; James J. Fassell, Cynthia Bird and Jacob Levesque, Parks Commission; Erica Girgenti, Housing Authority, one-year term; Elizabeth Bushey, five-year term, and Jacob Levesque, one-year term, Redevelopment Authority; McCann School Committee member Aaron Dean; Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee member Michael Mucci Jr. 

 

Seats with no names on the ballot were Housing Authority for five years, Redevelopment Authority for two years, and Cheshire representative for Adams-Cheshire, along with 18 open spots for town meeting members. 

 

But write-in votes totaled 249 across the five precincts, meaning some or all of those seats may be filled. The names were unavailable at publication but will followed up. 

 

The Vote For Susan project, with a goal of increasing voter turnout in celebration of suffrage activist Susan B. Anthony's 200th birthday, said more work needs to be done. 

 

"We didn't meet our 30 percent goal, but we didn't lose ground either," the project sent in an email. "Comparatively, 2017 was 19 percent, 2016 was 13.9 percent, 2015 was 7 percent and 2014 was 20 percent. We've only just begun.  We're in it for the long haul to 2020."