By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Westborough – At the Board of Selectmen's Nov. 13 meeting, the board agreed to host a small informal reception with the town's state legislators prior to one of its upcoming meetings.
For years, Westborough officials have stressed to the town's state legislators that they believe it is in Westborough's best interest to have one representative and not three, as is the current situation.? But in spite of the representatives agreeing with them and the congressional redistricting that will take effect Jan. 2, 2013, the town will still have three different representatives.
State Rep. George Peterson, Jr. (R-Grafton), who has long served the town, will not be one of them, however, due to the redistricting.
State representatives Matthew Beaton, R- Shrewsbury and Carolyn Dykema, D- Holliston will both continue to represent the town after winning their respective bids for re-election. As of Jan. 2, Beaton will represent precincts 4 and 5 (which are part of the Eleventh Worcester District) and Dykema will represent Precinct 2 (which is part of the Eight Middlesex District).
Danielle Gregoire, a former Democratic state representative, defeated the incumbent, Steven Levy, R-Marlborough in the Nov. 6 election. As such, starting Jan. 2 Gregoire will be representing Precincts 1 and 3 which are part of the Fourth Middlesex District, as part of the redistricting.
The board tentatively has scheduled the reception with the representatives for just prior to its Dec. 11 meeting.
In other business, the selectmen thanked Town Clerk Nancy Yendriga, her staff and the town's 50 election workers for their work on Election Day.
“Everyone did a great job,” Leigh Emery, the board's chair, praised. “Thank goodness for Nancy and all the hard work she did ahead of time researching voting machines that work.”
Emery added that out of the town's 11,599 registered voters, 9,251 (80 percent) voted on Nov. 6.
