Grafton Town Election by the numbers
A total of 3,301 voters turned out for the annual Town Election Tuesday, a figure driven by a contested Select Board race, a Proposition 2 1/2 override and the ability to vote early.
Town Clerk Kandy Lavallee said 1,854 early ballots were requested by voters and the bulk of them were turned in, arriving in stacks by mail and retrieved from the gold mailbox outside the Municipal Center multiple times a day. Early voting was a new option for the town election, offered by the state as a way to limit exposure to COVID-19.
The unofficial count released by the Town Clerk’s office Wednesday morning:
Select Board
Donna Stock (incumbent): 1,129
Jennifer Thomas (incumbent): 1,024
Mathew Often: 2,098
Colleen Roy: 1,920
What happened? Both Stock and Thomas were critical of the override request as well as Finance Committee efforts to rework the municipal budget. Thomas kicked off the push for a new Super Park, which was voted down at Town Meeting Saturday. Both used social media minimally, relying on mail campaigns to get their positions out.
Often and Roy were vocal members of the Finance Committee. Roy’s pushback against the Super Park was a successful one. With COVID-19 preventing public events, both stayed connected with voters through their Facebook pages, posting videos and answering questions.
Write-ins of note: “Jen Stock,” an apparent mash-up of the incumbents; Mike Swift and Mark Benoit, both members of the Grafton Police.
Town Moderator
Daniel Concaugh 1,816
Bruce Spinney 1,260
What happened? While Spinney as a former selectman is a familiar town figure, his stepping down to pursue opening a marijuana shop in town has been controversial, and his bid to expand the number of licenses failed at Town Meeting. Concaugh is a longtime Grafton resident and attorney.
Write-ins of note: Yes, someone did write in longtime Town Moderator Ray Mead, but can we discuss the road less-traveled of a Town Meeting led by “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, suggested by two voters?
Question 1
Should the Board of Selectmen be called the Select Board? Already passed by Town Meeting, the vote was a formality.
Yes 2,268
No 884
Question 2
Should Grafton override Proposition 2 1/2? Override votes tend to draw significant voter attention, and this was no different.
Yes 1,660
No 1,562
School Committee
Rahul Rathi 2,372 (3 year term)
Elizabeth Spinney 2,260 (1 year term to fill a vacancy)
Notable write-ins: Former School Committee members Teri Turgeon and Stock; Superintendent of Schools James Cummings.
Planning Board
Linda Hassinger 2,344 (3 year term)
Justin Wood 2,306 (1 year term to fill a vacancy)
Notable write-ins: Donald Trump
Board of Library Trustees (elect 2)
Karen Durand 2,170
Martin Estner 1,988
Notable write-ins: Both former Selectmen John Dowling and Craig Dauphinais were frequent write-ins on the unopposed positions.
Housing Authority
Lisa Brovelli-Kelley 2,422
Write-ins of note: Dan Cusher, criticized by Thomas when he sought to fill an empty seat on the Affordable Housing Trust; former “This Old House” host Bob Villa.
