Westport in Brief!
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Quick Article Index . . .
Dutra, Sullivan win 3-year
Selectman terms in uncontested races.
Control storm water runoff
with a free rain barrel.
|
Dutra and Sullivan win 3-year
Selectman terms in uncontested races. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
April 11, 2012
3122 ballots were cast,
representing 27.48% of the town's registered voters, a good turnout
considering there were no contested races for public office. Inset: R. Michael
Sullivan accompanied by his wife, Martha, is sworn in by Town Clerk Marlene
Samson as Westport's rookie Selectman. Westport voters defeat $3.2
million override. Following a national
trend against deficit spending and over regulation, Westport voters by a margin of 56.34% rejected a
Proposition 2 1/2 tax override that would have funded the Middle School's PCB
remediation costs by raising real estate taxes over 20 years. The vote will leave the new
Select Board wondering as to how they are now going to pay for the massive
cost of the school's PCB cleanup out of the town's annual budget, which they
are already having a difficult time in level-funding the town departments. Voters also rejected a
movement to place the Westport River under the Federal protection of the Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act in a non-binding vote. It was clear voters had no
appetite for a sizable tax override. The binding ballot question
was defeated by a resounding 56.34 percent of the ballots cast. The miniscule number of
blank ballot votes cast for the Proposition 2 1/2 override (37) suggests
hundreds of Westport voters came out just to vote on the ballot questions. In contrast there was an
average of up to 1000 blank ballot votes cast for the uncontested candidates. According to the Town
Clerk's office, many residents called the Town Hall after receiving the
recent Westport Taxpayers Association mailing condeming the override, asking
the Town Clerk's office where they could vote. As expected, Westport
voters by 57% want the annual Town Meeting broken up into two Saturday
morning sessions. But in a surprising result
that bucked the electorate's apparent antipathy towards taxes, voters chose
to continue CPA funding for historic preservation, land conservation and
affordable housing by a convincing vote of 1961 versus 1062, a 64.87%
affirmation. Conservation Commission
member R. Michael Sullivan outpolled Select Board incumbent Craig Dutra 1827
to 1735. Both candidates won spots on the Board of Selectmen. There were no contested races
for the 15 candidates running for office, but Westport voters had their say
on the four ballot questions, Question 2 (retaing Community Preservation Act)
resulting in more lawn signs than all the other candidates combined. A robust race for the two Selectman
seats was shaping up with former Selectman Brian Valcourt
taking out nomination papers on the last day, then deciding not run a few
days later. The April 10th election results are as follows: For
Three Years:
R. Michael Sullivan for Selectman - 1827 (26 Write-ins) (466 blank ballots) Craig Dutra for Selectman - 1735 (26 Write-ins)
(466 blank ballots)
Robert Grillo - 1999 (26 Write-ins)
(1113 blank ballots)
Antonio Viveiros - 1802 (10 Write-ins)
(779 blank ballots) Sylvia C. Africano - 1560 (10 Write-ins)
(1113 blank ballots)
Peter Kastner - 86 (493 Write-ins) (2629 blank ballots)
!! Top Vote Getter !!! John Colletti - 2017 (16 Write-ins) (1089 blank ballots)
Paul Cabral - 1699 (8 Write-ins) (1089 blank ballots) Nancy M. Dawson - 1683 (8 Write-ins)
(1089 blank ballots)
Carl F. Tripp - 1979 (5 Write-ins) (835 blank ballots) Jefferson L. Bull - 1373 (5 Write-ins)
(835 blank ballots)
Charles W. Nichols II - 60 (288 Write-ins)
(2834 blank ballots) For
Five Years:
James Whitin - 1803 (13 Write-ins)
(1306 blank ballots)
William
D. Raus - 1740 (6
Write-ins) (1376 blank ballots) Local
chiropractor and Board of Health Chairman Dr. John Colletti
was the top vote getter with 2017votes. According
to Samson, "I expected close to 30 percent of the town's registered
voters to turn out." “2010's
annual April election brought out 39.42 percent of Westport’s 11,518
registered voters; good numbers for an annual town election,” said Samson. "I
was surprised by the lower turnout of 27.5 percent, with
3,122 of Westport’s 11,360 registered voters going to the polls," Samson
said.. The
Town Hall Annex, Precinct A, had the highest turnout at 33.85 percent (812);
the Macomber School, Precinct C, the least with
22.56 percent (500). There
are 4423 democrats, 1345 republicans, 5523 unenrolled,
and 69 others registered in Westport, for a total of 11,360 registered
voters.. According
to Assistant Registrar Dottie Sylvia, "There has been an decrease
overall in registrations for republicans, democrats and unenrolleds
this year over last year, in fact by several hundred".
Left: Outgoing Selectman Jim Coyne interviews
Town Clerk Marlene Samson on the town's cable station about the results of
the annual election. Right: R. Michael Sullivan, Martha
Sullivan, and Jim Coyne chat on air about the challenges facing the new
Select Board. Question 1: Shall the Town
of Westport be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and
one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bond issued in order
to pay costs of environmental remediation at the Westport Middle School,
including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto?
All results are unofficial. Absentee
ballots not yet received have 10 days to be counted. Question 2: Shall the Town
request the Board of Selectmen to place a warrant article on the Annual Town
Meeting to begin action to repeal the Community Preservation Act in the Town
of Westport. (This question is non-binding. A vote of town meeting followed
by a vote at the 2013 annual election would also be necessary to repeal the
Community Preservation Act.)
Question 3: Shall the Town
of Westport want its water ways, rivers and streams to be designated a Wild
& Scenic river way under the provisions of the Federal Government?
Question 4: Shall the town vote
to change the schedule of town meeting and hold two Annual Town Meetings on
Saturdays, one in the fall for mostly planning and non-monetary articles, and
one in the spring for mostly setting Town Budgets.
Control storm water runoff with a
free rain barrel. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Reduce your water use with a free
rain barrel from the town of Westport. The town wants to encourage residents
to do their part to control water pollution by sponsoring a Rain Barrel
Program. Rain barrels are used to collect and
store water coming off roofs. These barrels, when hooked up to the downspouts
and drains, provide an ample supply of water that can be used for lawns,
gardens, flowerpots, car washing, and other needs, saving water and money by
using rainwater instead of drinking water for uses around the house. Water collected in rain barrels also
prevents pollution by keeping rain water from flowing over paved surfaces,
picking up pollutants such as fertilizer, pet waste, and motor oil, which
eventually reach our rivers and streams. Using rain barrels is a great way to
decrease your household's impact on local streams and rivers. The town of
Westport encourages residents to participate in the rain barrel program as
stewards of the Westport River and the environment. This program is being
co-sponsored by the Westport River Watershed Alliance in an effort to keep
our river clean for future generations. Rain barrels will be given out on Saturday,
May 12th at the Westport Public Library. 408 Old County Road, between 10 a.m.
and 1 p.m. At 10 a.m. there will be a presentation on setting up a rain
barrel, rain water harvesting, and reuse in your yard. Rain barrels will be
distributed in the parking lot after the presentation. Westport residents interested in
receiving a free rain barrel should submit their name and address to Denise
Bouchard, secretary to the Board of Selectmen. Send an email to bouchardd@westport-ma.gov
with the subject line reading Rain Barrel Program and include your contact
information. To receive a rain barrel, you will be
required to use it at your home, and provide a picture of your installed rain
barrel in use. Each barrel will come with a spigot, screen, and down-spout
adapter. Make a difference in your own
backyard and help keep our water clean — install a rain barrel. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
2012 Community Events of Westport
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