Photos
First the threat of snow postponed MCAS testing and trash pickup, and then the snow itself stopped school and postponed the opening of town offices. But the wintry mix that persisted throughout the day could not stop Concord’s annual Town Election.
The snow may have affected voter turnout, and certainly it led to some creative campaigning in the form of sign-holding snowman that popped up around town. Weather, however, was but a twist in the day’s main plotline: The contested race for two seats on the School Committee.
In the end, Johanna Boynton and Kathleen Snook edged out Lisa Bergen and Cynthia Rainey. The race was close, with more than 6,000 ballots cast and all four candidates separated by fewer than 400 votes.
Check back with Concord Patch a little later for a by-the-numbers breakdown of the results.
Others Elected
Carmin Reiss was re-elected to a second term on the Board of Selectmen, which she currently chairs. And she'll be joined there by Alice Kaufman. The two were the only candidates for the two available seats on the BOS.
Town Moderator Eric Van Loon, running uncontested, earned another one-year term in the post he claimed in 2010.
Dennon Rodrigue, running unopposed, was elected for a five-year term on the Concord Housing Authority.
Talking Turnout
Though there speculation the snow/sleet/hail/rain could keep voters from the polls, Town Clerk Anita Tekle said the percent turnout was the highest for an annual Town Election since 2006, when there was an override vote.
Turnout was fairly consistent across the board, which Tekle noted was a possible indicator that road conditions did not adversely affect any one precinct more than the others.
Click through the photos above for some scenes from Concord's annual Town Election.
The conditions didn’t keep supporters inside, either. Sign-holders for all four candidates weathered the weather at polling locations around town – in some cases even building snowmen.
Inside the polling places, election workers said the morning—when the conditions were worst—were uncharacteristically slow. Things picked up as the wintry weather died down, they said, including in some places a small rush around lunchtime.
