By Al Blake and Kathy Dickinson
The first annual candidate forum was held at Town Hall on Monday, May 12th, in order for candidates for elected Town positions to introduce themselves to members of the community and to entertain questions of interest from the electorate. Candidates who participated included Dan Parnell and Ron Defoe, both of whom were running for reelection to the Finance Committee; Chris Swindlehurst, in a contest for reelection to the Select Board; Sarah Francis, who was running for a position on the Cemetery Commission; and both candidates for one position on the Planning Board: John Verity and incumbent Rob Ronzio. Dave Johnson, who was running for Select Board, was unable to attend but provided his profile in advance of the forum. Dr. Howard Lerner was also unable to attend and ran for a seat on the Board of Health.
The candidates were given two minutes each to introduce themselves to roughly 40 members of the community who attended in person and another eight who joined via Zoom. Attendees were also provided a list of the roles and responsibilities of the various boards. Following introductory statements each candidate present was asked to answer a short list of questions, including why they were interested in the position they were seeking, what they thought that board had done for the Town and what more that board could or should do, and if they had plans to encourage more members of the community to participate on local boards. The forum was then opened to questions from the audience.
Several questions revolved around how Becket might improve housing options for residents who wish to remain in Becket while requiring more assistance as they age. A suggestion was made to consider establishing a housing committee to explore potential ideas in addition to encouraging citizens to attend monthly Select Board meetings. Select Board Chair Elovirta pointed out this had been explored in the past, but interest was expressed in revisiting.
A final question to the candidates came from Ryan Eley, owner of the Becket Country Store: “What is your favorite spot in Becket?” Enthusiastic responses included the lakes, forests, hiking the Quarry, and all the good places to dine!
The event was hosted by Town Clerk Robin Mathiesen and moderated by Al Blake, a member of multiple Town boards and a contributor to the Becket Beat.
The Town election was held on Saturday, May 17th, from 10 to 7 p.m. and drew a record number of 233 voters out of 1,708 registered. Following are the results—and huge thanks to Robin Mathiesen, Town Clerk, Sue Crossley, Assistant Town Clerk, and all of the volunteers who made our election process a tremendous success we all should be proud of.
• Board of Health—Dr. Howard Lerner (185 votes, 7 write-ins, 41 blank)
• Finance Committee—two positions: Ronald Defoe and Daniel Parnell (206 and 199 votes respectively, 1 write-in, 60 blank)
• Select Board—Christopher Swindlehurst (136 to 95 votes, 2 blank)
• Cemetery Commissioner—Sarah Francis (219 votes, 14 blank)
• Planning Board—John Verity (183 to 47 votes, 3 blank)
Total voters: 233
Total registered voters: 1,708
Voter turnout: 13.6%
