Rochester’s May 22 Town Election chose the incumbents over the challengers in every contested race but one.
Josh Trombly became a new member of the Rochester School Committee with 667 votes, edging out incumbent Jason Chisholm, who garnered 644 votes. Trombly will be joined on the board by the highest vote getter in this race of four candidates for two seats, incumbent Robin Rounsevillle, who received 736 votes based on official totals posted Tuesday by Town Clerk Margie Barrows on the town’s website.
Matthew Bache placed fourth with 638 votes. Noteworthy here is that a mere 24 votes separated incumbent Chisholm and challenger Trombly.
“I have a lot of mixed feelings. I’m excited. I’m overwhelmed. I received a lot of good feedback supporting me. I hope to work together with all the people of the town who are on every side of every issue. I tried to reach out to everybody and want to continue to do just that,” said Trombly. “I don’t think I won on any particular issue. I might be someone with a little different perspective. But we are all looking for the same solutions for our school.”
By a wider margin, incumbent Matthew Monteiro won a return to his seat on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee over challenger Stacie Noble Shriver. Monteiro garnered 772 votes, and Shriver tallied 641 votes.
Monteiro said he believes he won re-election because of what he learned from residents and how he was able to educate them in the course of attending the Council on Aging’s Candidates Night and being interviewed in the local press.
“I was able to hear their questions and clarify things people had concerns about that were blown out of proportion,” Monteiro said. “And now I hope people are more confident in the regional school committee and what we do.”
Rochester had two other contested races (more names on the ballot than seats open).
Park Commission incumbent Kenneth Ross (652 votes) won a challenge from Nathaniel Reece (552), and Library Trustee incumbents Shauna Makuch (743) and Kelley Medeiros (668) kept their seats in a challenge from Portia Silk (624).
Michael Amato (1,130 votes) is a new member of the Board of Health, in an uncontested race to complete the remaining two years after the retirement of member Dale Barrows. Incumbent Sarah Eby, running unopposed to maintain her seat, received 1,091 votes.
There were no ballot candidates for one open seat on Rochester’s Cemetery Commission, but Melissa Dougall led write-in candidates with 150 votes and has since accepted the role and has been sworn in, according to interim Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar. Lorna Walker received 42 votes and Jeffrey Eldridge five.
Running unopposed for re-election to the Rochester Select Board, Paul Ciaburri received 1,063 votes. Scott Hartley, the son of former Select Board member Woody Hartley, received 70 write-in votes.
Other incumbents running unopposed and easily keeping their seats included: Jana Cavanaugh (1,069), Board of Assessors, David Hughes (1,124) Water Commission, Jeffrey Eldridge (1,125) Tree Warden and David Arancio (1,111) Town Moderator.
A ballot question to approve a debt exclusion to fund capital improvements to the Old Rochester Regional School District campus, rendered moot by the ORR School Committee’s recent vote to delay such a plan, predictably failed by a tally of 476 “no” votes and only 297 that said “yes.”
Among 4,873 registered voters, a total of 1,454 ballots were cast.
Rochester Town Election
By Michael J. DeCicco