By Dakota Antelman, Managing Editor
HUDSON – Voters headed to the polls, May 10, to settle one of the most heavily contested municipal elections in recent memory.
Ultimately, former police chief Michael Burks and local machinist/finance committee member Shawn Sadowski emerged victorious from the field of candidates vying for open seats on the Select Board, according to unofficial results.
The School Committee, meanwhile, will have a new look after former Selectman Chris Yates, Historical Commission member Mark Terra-Salomão and library worker Molly MacKenzie defeated committee member Glenn Maston in a four way race for three open seats.
Incumbents Matthew McDowell and Nina Ryan, who first won their seats in 2018, did not seek re-election.
This election saw only the second set of contested Select Board races in town since 2014. Likewise, this was also the first time since 2014 in which a town ballot showed coinciding contested races for School Committee and Select Board.
The Select Board race took on a particularly new dimension after incumbent Select Board members John Parent and Joe Durant both announced they would not seek reelection.
By the town clerk’s filing deadline, five candidates had gathered signatures to appear on the ballot.
Those included Burks, Sadowski, recently retired firefighter Doug Schaeffer, Cumberland Farms employee Dandrick Gelin, and local real estate agent Sina Abbott.
On election day, Burks carried 1,324 votes. Sadowski followed with 984 votes while Schaeffer, Abbott and Gelin then gathered 686, 299 and 247 votes respectively.
In the School Committee race, Yates led the way with 1,287 votes. Terra-Salomão finished in second place with 1,048 votes, while MacKenzie finished third with 1,037 votes.
Maston massed 997 votes.
Further down the ballot, Jeffery David Supernor narrowly defeated Frank Arbour to win reelection to the municipal light board.
Joanne McIntyre also defeated David Daginault to win re-election to the Board of Assessors.
See complete election results…https://www.townofhudson.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3281/f/uploads/may10_2021_annual_town_election_results.pdf
