Adjust your calendar: Grafton town election is now May 22

Grafton’s Town Election is now on May 22 after the need for COVID-19 precautions for students, poll workers, and voters clashed with the original date.

Polls will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a reduction in the normal polling hours.

The Select Board agreed that the Saturday election was the most logical solution of the options presented, which included moving the polls to the Municipal Center gym on the original May 18 date or postponing the election to June 29.

Town Clerk Kandy Lavallee requested a change in polling hours for the Saturday date, since employees will be expected to work a full week, the entire weekend handling ballots and set up/break down, and then another full week.

“We have a great voter record in this town,” Select Board member Doreen DeFazio said, referring to the town’s recent Best Voting Community award. “I don’t want to be insensitive to staff… but this is the Super Bowl for them.” 

Turnout, however, is likely to be poor. There are no contested races on the ballot and the only expected changes in office are at Select Board, where Ed Prisby is not seeking re-election, and town moderator, left empty after Daniel Concaugh resigned last fall. Former moderator Ray Mead is the only candidate for Select Board while Dawn Anderson is expected to pick up the Town Meeting gavel.

There is, however, a ballot question asking for a charter change to allow a “strong” fire chief: “Shall the Town approve the charter amendment proposed by Article 14 of the November 7, 2020 Town Meeting relative to changing the form of the Grafton Fire Department from a Board of Fire Engineers to that of one headed by a “Strong” Fire Chief (so-called), with the authority to appoint same to be vested in the Select Board and render the required text changes to the Town Charter and Town By-Laws as necessary?”

LaVallee said there will be no in-person early voting, but voters may once again vote by mail. During last spring’s town election, 1,800 mail-in votes were cast.

 Here’s who is on the Grafton Town Election ballot:

• Select Board (1- 3 year term)  — Raymond E. Mead
• Planning Board (2- 3 year terms) — Robert Hassinger, Justin B. Wood
• School Committee (2- 3 year terms) — Laura I. Often,  Elizabeth Anderson Spinney
• Library Trustees- (3- 3 year terms) — Douglas S. Bowman, Stephanie M. Teixeira, Aaron M. Vandesteen
• Town Moderator- (1- 2 year term- to fill a vacancy) — Dawn C. Anderson
• Grafton Housing Authority- (1- 5 year term) — James J. Gallagher

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