John Duval, left, and James Bush wait for results on Monday. Duval was running for a third term and Bush was running for the first time.
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."
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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking
There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests.
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
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