Posted by Ed
on April 8, 2008, 12:55 pm
24.34.144.49
Upsets shake up Billerica politics
By Jennifer Myers, jmyers@lowellsun.com
Article Last Updated: 04/08/2008 11:31:04 AM EDT
BILLERICA -- As the dust settles, the biggest impact from Saturday's election will be felt on the School Committee and Planning Board.
Incumbent Tom Galligani was ousted from the school board seat he's held for 24 years by challengers Maryann Harring Laurendeau, who topped the ticket with 2,836 votes, and Joanne Barry, successful on her third attempt to win a seat. Barry beat Galligani by 215 votes.
Throwing a wrench into the mix was School Committee member Jessica DiOrio's late withdrawal from the race, deciding to drop out after the ballots had been printed. She garnered 1,077 votes, which was likely a key factor in the outcome.
Turnout was not stellar: Only 4,900 or 21 percent of the town's 22,723 voters cast ballots.
Putting shoe leather to the road. Knocking on doors. Good old-fashioned campaigning. Both Harring Laurendeau and Barry did a lot of it, and in such a hotly contested race with low voter turnout, that one-on-one face time could have made the difference.
Both women are interested in building a new Parker Elementary School, as well as restructuring the special-education department to bring more kids back into the district.
"I think people were ready for a change, new ideas," said Sue Hopkins, chairwoman of the Special Education PAC and president of the Project Support PTO. "Both Joanne and Maryann are passionate and have a lot of knowledge about what is going on in the schools today. Hopefully, these new faces and new approaches will motivate others on the School Committee to get more involved."
The upset in the Planning Board race, which saw incumbent Rich Tortola fall to the bottom of a pack of four candidates vying for two seats, puts a kink in the $20 million Billerica Mall revitalization proposal.
Challenger Marti Mahoney, who has not hidden her opposition to the plan, led the pack with 2,127 votes, followed by incumbent Rich Baraldi with 2,114 votes.
Before the election, project developer FB Billerica Realty LLC needed five of seven votes to gain approval. With Mahoney's victory, they now need five of six votes. She is ineligible to vote because she has not sat on the board throughout the hearing process.
In all probability that five of six is in actuality five of five, because Planning Board member Bob Casey, who once led anti-Home Depot group Billerica First, has made it clear that he will never vote to approve the plan.
At last week's Planning Board meeting, attorney Steve Lentine, representing the developer, said they would "take their chances" with the election results, rather than rush a vote.
There was no big surprise in the race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen. Voters made it clear that as they headed to the polls, they had their minds on their wallets.
Both Patrick Coffey and Donna DiOrio, supporting different winning candidates in the selectmen's race, said they have watched dire financial trouble unfolding in neighboring Chelmsford and Tewksbury, a situation they don't want any closer to home.
Coffey came out to support Billerica Police Department dispatcher and owner of Ma's Dry Cleaning Bob Accomando in his winning bid for a seat on the board.
"As a small-business owner he understands the tax situation," he said. "I think he is the right guy for the job and is very friendly and approachable. You can talk to him about anything and know he is listening.
"I would hate to see us go down that road where the town is looking for Proposition 2 1/2 overrides," Coffey added.
DiOrio said Selectman Marc Lombardo is more her cup of tea.
"He has always stayed true to his word and never votes for anything that would hurt the taxpayers and has given them a voice," she said. "I understand you have to approve certain things, but you have to be responsible to the taxpayers."
****
Lombardo also received a wave of support from residents opposed to the natural-gas-fired power plant proposed for North Billerica, a project he has adamantly opposed.
****
Lombardo easily topped the ticket with 2,840 votes to slide into his second term on the board. Accomando took 2,246, beating out Pat Flemming and Ron DiOrio Jr., for the second open seat, created by Selectman Kathy Matos' decision not to seek a second term.
Voters at the polls debated whether Accomando's job would hurt his chances of winning, given that he is a town employee. Many residents were critical of potential conflict-of-interest issues.
Accomando faced the criticism head-on, stating that he had received an opinion from the state Ethics Commission clearly stating what he could and could not vote on.
"I am an independent person and anyone who knows me knows that," he said, adding that he has written his letter of resignation as president of the dispatchers' union and will no longer serve as its chief negotiator. "I do not foresee any problems."
Message Thread:
« Back to thread