Update at 12:47 p.m., Nov. 3: Carolyn Greene will finish the last two years of a four-year term on Mount Greylock Regional School Committee. Results from Lanesborough gave Greene 759 votes to Elizabeth Beck's 536. The total vote from both towns gave Greene 2,831 votes to Beck's 1,527, a 1,304 vote difference.
“Lizzy Beck had an impressive showing with an important platform,” Greene said Tuesday night. “I was glad to see her center the issues of race, equity and inclusion.
“I am looking forward to continuing the work of the School Committee, and I am honored to have the trust of the majority of voters.”
Jose Constantine and Julia Bowen will take the two open four-year seats representing Williamstown. Bowen was the top vote-getter in both towns, garnering 949 votes in Lanesborough for a total of 3,430. Constantine polled 557 in Lanesborough for a total vote of 2,168. Jude Higdon-Topaz got 327 votes in Lanesborough despite dropping out of the race.
Lanesborough resident Michelle Johnson, facing no opposition for a vacant four-year seat, earned 1,329 votes in Lanesborough.
Lanesborough's turnout was 79 percent, or 1,887 of the 2,386 registered voters casting ballots.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — With the larger of the regional school district's two towns reporting, incumbent Carolyn Greene was on track Tuesday to retain her seat on the Mount Greylock Regional School District.
The unofficial vote tally in Williamstown when the polls closed gave the town to Greene by a margin of 2,072-991 over challenger Elisabeth Beck.
Lanesborough, which in 2018 had about half as many votes as Williamstown, had not reported its votes as of midnight.
Greene, who was looking to finish the last two years of a four-year seat she was appointed to fill after a resignation, was involved in the only contested race in the district.
While it appeared likely she would retain her post, three newcomers were elected to the seven-member regional school committee in unopposed races.
Lanesborough resident Michelle Johnson faced no opposition in her quest to fill a vacant four-year seat.
The ballot also had two four-year seats for Williamstown residents. Three candidates were on the ballot for those two seats, but one, Jude Higdon-Topaz, announced his withdrawal from the race and asked his supporters to back Jose Constantine.
In Williamstown, Constantine received 1,611 votes, and Julia Bowen was the top vote-getter with 2,481 votes. Higdon-Topaz, despite pulling out of the race, received 570 votes in his hometown.
In addition to the three newcomers elected on Tuesday, the School Committee will have another new face when it meets later this month. Last week, Lanesborough resident Curtis Elfenbein was appointed to serve the last two years on an unexpired term following a resignation.
Williamstown saw a turnout of about 76 percent, with 3,656 ballots returned from the town's 4,826 registered voters.
Three-quarters of Williamstown's 3,656 ballots came in before election day.
Town Clerk Nicole Pedercini reported that the town received 74 absentee ballots and a combination of mail-in and early in-person votes that totaled 2,715.
Pedercini said she and her poll workers processed the 2,789 early votes by about 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
The presidential ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took Williamstown by a margin of 3,088-487, about 86 percent of the vote going Democratic in the reliably "blue" town.
Williamstown voted yes on public question No. 1, the Right to Repair question, by a vote of 2,614-807. The town voters also supported ranked-choice voting, voting yes on question No. 2 by a margin of 2,228-1,226.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Williamstown, Five Other County Towns Receive Seasonal Community Grants
Staff Reports
BOSTON, Mass. — Five months after Williamstown's town meeting opted into the commonwealth's Seasonal Communities program, the town has received its first grant from the state under the program.
Gov. Maura Healey Tuesday announced nearly $2 million in Seasonal Community Grants to help all 24 municipalities in the program statewide.
The funding helps communities advance housing projects with the potential to support 594 year-round homes, including affordable housing developments, infrastructure improvements and planning efforts that will help unlock future housing opportunities.
"From the Berkshires to Cape Cod and the Islands, our seasonal communities are an important part of what makes Massachusetts special," Healey in a news release. "But we know these communities face unique challenges, especially when it comes to housing for the people who live and work there year-round. That's why we created the Seasonal Communities designation and are backing it up with funding to help local leaders build more homes, support their workforce and keep their communities strong for generations to come."
That list of awardees includes six Berkshire County towns:
• Egremont — $60,687 to support septic and well construction for Phase II of Town Hall Housing, adding affordable housing units (20 units).
• Great Barrington — $84,731 to conduct a housing needs study, develop a Housing Production Plan and support the design and engineering of roadway and streetscape improvements near Reed Street and Main Street.
The park on Stetson Road “officially” opened with a ribbon cutting a little after 2 p.m., two hours after attendees started using their skateboards, bicycles, scooters and rollerblades at the Max Rothschild Memorial Skatepark. click for more
The single-vehicle accident left the operator of the motorcycle with, "serious injuries to his head, face and upper body," according to a news release from the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office. click for more
The town's two art museums were, collectively, before three town land-use boards over the last two weeks for approvals of an expansion and signage. click for more
Gabe Thomas carded an even par round of 71 at Stockbridge Golf Club Monday to finish two shots clear of the field and claim the first county individual championship for the McCann Tech golf team. click for more
Owners and friends Michelle Marrocco and Tiffany Boyden opened Pup Place last month at 895 Simonds Road, the former location of a martial arts studio.
click for more