Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat03:10PM / Thursday, March 28, 2024 | |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May.
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos.
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue.
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health and library trustee.
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee.
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
Incumbent Norman Rolnick is the only candidate for Board of Health.
The Select Board on Wednesday set the election for Tuesday, May 14, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Community Center and authorized early voting.
Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau said the town could opt out of early voting but it would require a public hearing before a vote.
"It's not a big extra job. Not many people come in and early vote anyway," she said. "It's a much simpler, cleaner process than having to have a public hearing and then vote on it. ...
"And we're making it as easy for easy as possible for the voters."
Gomeau told the board that for the last election, only four people used the early voting option but about 160 voted by mail, which will be available again.
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