Students’ return to school complicates Grafton Town Election

The Town Clerk is asking to postpone the spring election or move the polls out of the schools to maintain COVID-19 protocols as all Grafton students return to the classroom full time.

In a letter to the Select Board, Town Clerk Kandy Lavallee said the town has three options:

• Keep the current May 18 date but move the polls to another location;
• Move the date to Tuesday, June 29 after school is out for the year;
• Move the date to Saturday, May 22, with reduced polling hours.

While elections are normally held in the gyms at Grafton Middle School and Millbury Street Elementary School, the need to protect both voters and poll workers during the pandemic moved some precincts to the cafeterias in both schools. Canceling school for the day is not an option.

There are no contested races on the spring ballot. However, there will be 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?”

Further complicating matters: Town Meeting is now set for June 5, which means a new Town Moderator will not be elected until after the meeting. While former moderator Ray Mead filled in during fall Town Meeting and has been asked to do the same if the election is moved, Mead (who is also running for Select Board in the election) said he prefers to keep the election in May to allow the new moderator to take the podium.

“I cannot attend Tuesday’s meeting but I would like to express my opinion on delaying the election until June 29th,” he wrote in a letter to the Select Board. “With no one running opposed the vote will be very light. I think that a smaller voting set up could be accommodated in the gym at the Municipal Center and possibly in the Middle School gym. The 29th of June is in the beginning of the July 4th vacation week which will further reduce the voter turnout. Please keep the election on the 18th of May. I will help in any way that I am needed. Kandy has already asked me to be the Moderator at Town Meeting if the date is changed to June 29th, but I would rather have the new Moderator run the meeting on the 5th.”

Select Board will discuss the suggested election changes Tuesday night.

 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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