Williamstown Town Election Tuesday

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Voters Tuesday will choose two people for three-year terms on the Select Board at the annual town election.
 
Stephanie Boyd, Andrea Bryant, Paul Harsch and incumbent Andrew Hogeland appear on the ballot in the day's only contested race.
 
Voters will be asked to choose two names from that list, and the top two vote-getters will earn seats on the five-person board.
 
Of the four candidates, Bryant is the only one who chose not to answer a series of questions asked by iBerkshires.com or participate in an annual forum sponsored by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.
 
On April 11, one day after receiving the questions from iBerkshires.com, Bryant replied, "I have withdrawn from the race due to a family emergency that has severely changed my priorities. I withdrew late so my name will remain on the ballot, but I have pulled out and will not be at any forums or participating in any media coverage."
 
The deadline to withdraw nomination papers was April 6.
 
With a week to go before the election, Bryant announced on social media that "I am running for a seat on the Select Board" and informed iBerkshires late Friday of her candidacy. She has posted a candidate statement on Willinet that can be found under "Local Shows and Interviews."
 
In addition to the two Select Board seats, Tuesday's ballot includes candidates for two seats on the Planning Board and two seats on the Milne Public Library Board of Trustees — all unopposed.
 
Cory Campbell is the lone candidate for a five-year seat on the Planning Board. Benjamin Greenfield is the only candidate running to fill one year remaining on an unexpired term on that board.
 
For the library trustees, Alexander Carlisle and Katherine Evans each are running for two three-year terms on the ballot.
 
The town election is Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the gymnasium at Williamstown Elementary School.

Tags: election 2023,   town elections,   


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Vice Chair Vote Highlights Fissure on Williamstown Select Board

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A seemingly mundane decision about deciding on a board officer devolved into a critique of one member's service at Monday's Select Board meeting.
 
The recent departure of Andrew Hogeland left vacant the position of vice chair on the five-person board. On Monday, the board spent a second meeting discussing whether and how to fill that seat for the remainder of its 2024-25 term.
 
Ultimately, the board voted, 3-1-1, to install Stephanie Boyd in that position, a decision that came after a lengthy conversation and a 2-2-1 vote against assigning the role to a different member of the panel.
 
Chair Jane Patton nominated Jeffrey Johnson for vice chair after explaining her reasons not to support Boyd, who had expressed interest in serving.
 
Patton said members in leadership roles need to demonstrate they are "part of the team" and gave reasons why Boyd does not fit that bill.
 
Patton pointed to Boyd's statement at a June 5 meeting that she did not want to serve on the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee, instead choosing to focus on work in which she already is heavily engaged on the Carbon Dioxide Lowering (COOL) Committee.
 
"We've talked, Jeff [Johnson] and I, about how critical we think it is for a Select Board member to participate in other town committees," Patton said on Monday. "I know you participate with the COOL Committee, but, especially DIRE, you weren't interested in that."
 
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