Lenox Elects Mitts to Board of Selectmen

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LENOX, Mass. — Town meeting rejected an affordable housing plan last week but easily elected the chairman of the Affordable Housing Trust, MaryBeth Frazier Mitts, to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen on Monday night. 
 
Mitts garnered 462 votes against Max Scherff's 114 and Michael Feder's 78 to win the seat being vacated by three-term Selectman Kenneth Fowler. Mitts has also served on the School Committee. 
 
On May 2, town meeting had rejected a proposal to convey the so-called six-acre Sawmill Brook land to develop into 41 affordable and nine-market rate apartments. The land would have served as the town's matching funds to qualify for tax credits. It failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed by 73 votes. 
 
The selectman's seat was the only race on the ballot. Elected unopposed were John J. McNinch as moderator, Dianne Romeo to a three-year term on the Board of Health; Thomas Romeo to a three-year term as assessor; Robert Vaughan to a three-year term on the School Committee; and James Harwood to a five-year term on the Planning Board. 
 
The turnout for Monday's election was 18 percent, with 657 of 3,631 registered voters casting ballots. 
 
Last week's town meeting did pass a zoning bylaw to allow adult marijuana business as a non-unanimous voice vote that met the two-thirds required votes and a marijuana sales tax that passed by unanimous voice vote. A citizens' petition to prohibit recreational marijuana failed on a voice vote and two other articles were tabled by the petitioner. 
 
Town meeting saw 618 of 3,628 registered voters in attendance, or 17 percent. 

Tags: election 2019,   town elections,   


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Lenox Girls Basketball Earns State Sportsmanship Award

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LOWELL, Mass. — For the first time in the team's history, the Lenox Memorial High School Girls Basketball team has won the MIAA Team Sportsmanship Award.
 
In 2024, the title was awarded to only two of 300 teams in Massachusetts.
 
The school team received the award during the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Basketball State Championships held at the Tsongas Center in Lowell on March 17.
 
"This is a big win for the entire Lenox community," Lenox Principal Jeremiah Ames said. "The Sportsmanship Award recognizes not only sportsmanship on the court, but service to the community and leadership at the school, and the members of our girls basketball team have done precisely that."
 
The team competes in Division 5 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and earned the No. 3 seed in the recently completed state tournament.
 
"The girls have worked really hard both on and off the court for this award, and I am tremendously pleased that MIAA have recognized those efforts," Lenox Athletic Director Maggie Rivers said. "Let their achievement be a message to girls in Lenox, if you have a passion for the game, step up: because anything is possible."
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