Westport April 2014 elections.
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April 02, 2014photos/EverythingWestport.com
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Westport’s
April election season started January 2nd; town-wide election on Tuesday, April
8th.
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Westport polling locations. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, April 02, 2014 Polling locations are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00
p.m. at the following locations:
Selectmen finalize, certify April
8th election ballot questions at their February 24th meeting. Four,
non-binding ballot questions will take the voters’ temperature on key issues
that affect the health of town government and quality of life for all town residents. EverythingWestport.com Monday, March 03,
2014 The six ballot
questions proposed by Selectmen have passed muster with Town counsel, and
have been released to the public. As expected,
Proposition 2 ½ and Capital Stabilization funding override questions dominate
the political scenery as Selectmen struggle to balance a tight budget, while
putting the brakes on a structural deficit that’s haunted the town for years.
Election 2014 update as of Wednesday, February 19, 2014; 9:00
a.m.: The final ballot Assessors: one three-year term John J. McDermott, 20 Fallon
Drive - incumbent Board Of Commissioners Of Trust Funds: one
three year term Maxwell Turner, 666 River
Road - incumbent Board of Health: one three-year term Karl Santos, 1325 Main Road -
appointed incumbent Board of Selectmen: two three-year seats Antone C. Vieira Jr., 8 Kelly Ave.
- incumbent
Chairman Steven J. Ouellette, 25 Maple
Street - Incumbent Richard M. Tongue – 2048 Main
Road Constables: two three-year terms Joseph Migliori,
1248 American legion Hwy - incumbent William A. Pariseau, 94 Washington Street - incumbent Arthur G. Caesar, 812 Sanford
Road Fish Commissioners: one three-year term George A. Yeomans,
106 Masquesatch Road - incumbent Housing Authority: one five-year term Ronald E. Costa, 6 Newton
Street - incumbent Landing Commissioner: one three-year term No
candidates Library Trustees of Free Public Library:
two three-year terms Pauline B. Dooley, 971 Main
Road - incumbent James J. Walsh Jr., 157
Blossom Road Planning Board: one five-year term William D. Raus, incumbent Planning Board: one 4-year unexpired term No
candidates Regional School Committee: one three-year
term Paul Jennings, 33 Fisher Road
- incumbent Jack Baughan,
509 River Road School Committee: one three-year term Michael P. Sullivan, 1380M
Drift Road - incumbent Nancy Rioux,
17 President Street Dr. Christopher Parker, 33 Katlyne Court Tax Collector: one three-year term Carol A. Borden, 150 Old
Bedford Road - incumbent
Town Clerk: one three-year term Marlene M. Samson, 195 Main
Road, incumbent Treasurer: one five-year term George E. Foster, 196 Sanford
Road - incumbent Election update as of February 7, 2014 Candidates have until this Thursday, February 13th
by 4:00 p.m. to take out papers, and then filing those papers with the town’s
Registrar by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18th. Westport’s
upcoming April election has few contested races, but a three-year term on the
Diman Regional School Committee (Westport
representative), a usually uncontested and uneventful race for many years, is
starting to draw some interest. Former Finance
Committee Chairman, Jack Baughan, has pulled papers
to challenge Jennings. The chairman of
the Diman Regional School Committee, Laurenio Couto, the lone
committee member who opposed entering into negotiations with and tendering a
contract extension for Superintendent-Director Marta Montleon,
is resigning, bringing into question whether recent School Committee actions
played into his decision. More. Also happening now, George Foster has announced
this is the last term as Treasurer he will seek, prompting Selectmen to place
a question on the April Election ballot changing the status of the Town
Treasurer’ position from elected to appointed. They are not
alone in making this change. The state’s
Department of Revenue has recommended big changes for Somerset's treasurer
and tax collector positions, and several other Bay State communities have
already followed suit. More.
Last year the
town approved changing the Highway Surveyor’s position from elected George Foster has
been the Town’s Treasurer for almost 25 years, providing a quality and
commitment to service few would question. Inset: Town Treasurer, George Foster. In fact many of
the town’s leaders are concerned that an elected Treasurer’s position could
place candidates on the ballot without the credentials or experience the town
was fortunate to have in George Foster. Both state and
local officials argue that town leaders can do a better job of determining
professional standards and skill sets for these positions that require
appropriate education and experience. In fact, George
Foster himself feels the time for this change is now, saying “the job has
become pretty technical, not something the average person off the street can
handle.” The Treasurer is
responsible for the town’s complex debt and bond financing, processes best left
to professionals. There is a
growing sense that the town’s obligations and service levels will be beyond
the capacity of an inexperienced Treasurer to deal with them. The ballot
question has its detractors, but few would argue that they want what happened
in Somerset to happen in Westport. The town clerk’s office has a list of
positions up for bid on the April 8th annual ballot. - February 10,
2014 One position will
be conspicuously absent. The Highway
Surveyor, normally up for election this year, is now an appointed position
thanks to a vote at last year’s annual town meeting. Read
article. “We decided to
move forward quickly to change the Highway Surveyor to an appointed position
last year (January, 2013) as we wanted to avoid having to pass the measure at
the 2014 annual spring election at the same time the Highway Surveyor would
be up for re-election,” said former Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard
Spirlet. Highway Surveyor
Harold “Jack” Sisson, still free on his own recognizance, awaits a
long-delayed trial on charges of receiving stolen property, larceny and
conspiracy. Sisson has entered a not guilty plea, and has been free on
personal recognizance. And in more
recent but not surprising news, Embattled Highway Surveyor Jack Sisson will
not seek re-election to the Landing Commission. Sunderland resigns from Planning Board in
January, 2014, leaving an open, four-year term on the five-member board. In the most
recent news, Planning Board member Wayne Sunderland has resigned, effective
immediately, leaving a four-year unexpired term up for grabs. Sunderland stated
family medical problems for his leaving he board. He will be missed. Town Clerk
Marlene Samson announced that nomination papers can be taken out for this
position, but they must do so before Thursday, February 13th by 4:00 p.m.,
and then file those papers with the town’s Registrar by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
February 18th.
Nomination papers
are available for 20 spots on various town boards and committees at the Town
Hall Clerk’s office, 816 Main Road, Westport. Town Clerk
Marlene Samson announced on Thursday, January 2nd that nomination papers for
the town’s 2104 annual election are now available for those interested in
running for one of many of positions in the April 8th election. Inset: Town Clerk Marlene Samson swears in Antone
C. Vieira Jr. on April 12, 2011 for his first three-year term as Westport
Selectman. With the new year
comes the official start of the spring election season, with a range of key
positions in town government up for grabs in the April 8th annual town
election. Westport voters
will be particularly interested in the two selectmen’s seat up for
re-election this year. Current Selectmen and Board Chairman Antone Vieira Jr. and Steven J. Ouellette will be on the
ballot as well as former Selectman Richard Tongue who is seeking one of those
two seats up for reelection. Town Clerk
Marlene Samson, Treasurer George Foster, and Collector of Taxes Carol Borden
are also expected to seek new terms in office. Other positions
on the spring ballot include a three-year seat on the Westport School
Committee currently filled by Michael P. Sullivan, and a three-year seat on
the Board of Assessors currently held by long-term member John McDermott. There is no
incumbent for the three-year post on the Board of Health. Former board member
Donna Lambert resigned last year to avoid a conflict-of-interest concern by
Selectmen when she became Westport’s Animal Control Officer. Appointee Karl
Santos is currently filling the board’s open seat, and has pulled papers to
run for a full term. Other officials
also up for re-election this year are Fish Commissioner George Yeomans, constables Joe Migliori
and William Pariseau, Trustees of the Westport Free
Public Library Pauline Dooley and Joseph Wisniewski, Commissioner of Trust
Funds Maxwell Turner.
The deadline for filing
nomination papers with the Board of Registrars is Tuesday, February 18,
2014 at 5 p.m. Candidates will
no longer have to pick up their certified nomination papers from the
Registrar's office and hand deliver them to the Town Clerk; that step was negated
by a Superior Court judgment made in April of 2011. However, it will
be the responsibility of the candidate(s) to check the validity of the
signatures; failure to do so could leave them off the ballot. Stayed tuned for
all the election news as it happens, only on EverythingWestport.com. © 2014 Community Events of Westport. All rights
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