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.
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — For the second straight year, the owners of the Sweetwood senior living facility have backed off a plan to ask the town's permission to convert some of its units to multifamily housing.
On Tuesday, the Planning Board, which had scheduled a public hearing to vet the proposal, learned that the landowner had withdrawn its request to petition May's annual town meeting to create an overlay district for the Cold Spring Road (Route 7) property.
For a couple of years, New Jersey-based CareOne, through its local representatives, have told town officials that Sweetwood's current model, which does not offer more advanced care for seniors as they age, is not sustainable.
The Sweetwood complex, which is adjacent to the grounds of the Mount Greylock Regional School, was built on a special permit that allows "assisted living" facilities on the property.
CareOne has been asking for zoning changes that would allow multifamily housing — i.e. regular apartments — at the site, a use that is prohibited in that zoning district.
Property owners are allowed to take zoning requests directly to town meeting, but the process still mandates that the Planning Board hold a public hearing on such requests prior to the May meeting.
"As we saw in a message this morning, the landowner has withdrawn their petition," Planning Board Chair Peter Beck said at the outset of Tuesday's meeting. "So we'll have nothing to act on. … We'll stay posted and see what comes next."
Dias, deputy chief of a department of full-time and volunteer firefighters, was the only nomination to succeed retiring Chief Craig Pedercini. The committee members pointed to Dias' dedication, experience and certifications as informing their decision.
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The annual town meeting overwhelmingly supported the home rule petition, which was waiting on approval from the legislature and the signature of the governor before the local property tax relief plan could be put into action. click for more
Four members of the seven-person committee attended the special in-person meeting at the middle-high school, framed as a budget workshop. click for more
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Devyn Fillio Sunday won the boys and girls individual high school bowling State Championships at Spare Time.
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