Winners In Town Election: Hurd, Helmuth, Mitropoulos, Feeley

Arlington MA

13 April, 2021

4:29 PM

Description

Your Arlington Last Updated: 11 April 2021 Written by Bob Sprague Hurd Helmuth Susse UPDATED, April 11: Results have been received in an annual town election, held Saturday, April 10, that saw three contested races -- for Select Board, the Board of Assessor and the Housing Authority board. The first two contests were relatively quiet, and the last was heated, marred by charges of harassment in the final week, as newcomer Kelda Fontenot, endorsed by Arlington Fights Racism, lost to 20-year incumbent Nick Mitropoulos, 2,926 to 2,303, in unofficial counts. Winning three-year seats on the Select Board were Town Meeting member Eric Helmuth (4,035) and incumbent John Hurd (3,170). Jennifer Susse, a former member of the School Committee, lost by 42 votes (3,128). Keeping one three-year seat on the Board of Assessors was 30-year incumbent Kevin Feeley, who received 2,216 votes, topping first-timers Philip Lohnes (1,889) and Guillermo S. Hamlin (1,288). Mitropoulos Fontenot Here are the unofficial numbers for the main offices >> Two School Committee incumbents, Jane Morgan (4,393) and Jeff Thielman (4,280), were unopposed. Here are the results for Town Meeting >> Reports this afternoon about ballot casts in a variety of precincts indicated a possibly low turnout, but without knowing how many cast ballots that were placed in drop boxes or by mail, it was hard to predict. From 2000 through 2018, the average turnout in town elections was 21.64 percent. Turnout for this town election was 19.46 percent, according to the unofficial numbers from the town. At 5:20 this afternoon, Precinct 12 was reported to have run out of ballots. YourArlington asked Town Clerk Juli Brazile, and she responded: "I knew they asked for more ballots and we sent them. I only later heard reports that the precinct ran completely out. I'll follow up with the Warden to understand the sequence of events and how they handled it." Public statements issued YourArlington requested statements from all candidates for key offices. Mitropoulos wrote April 11: "Citizens of Arlington, I wanted to take this moment to thank you for your support in Saturdays election. I am honored and humbled to have earned your confidence and to allow me to continue working with the Arlington Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for the next five years. I promise you I will be committed to the well being of our residents and to continue to be open, focused, and supportive to the needs of the community. Again, thank you for your support." Hamlin wrote on social media April 11: "Good evening, I heartily congratulate Kevin Feeley & Philip Lohnes for running fair & robust townwide campaigns. I wish them both continued success, but especially Mr. Feeley in his re-election to the Board of Assessors. Lohnes Hamlin Feeley "Together, we all kept to the issues & highlighted our varied experiences. With that, we received a good showing despite low turnout. These totals tonight reveal that I have been defeated & in good grace I accept this loss. We have lots to be proud of in how we ran these races. "For the good sportsmanship that never wavered since we began this race. I wish you all the best as we enter the Spring. Finally, I look forward to continuing the work of Arlington with new, as well as returning Town Meeting members. Please join me in cohering despite the differences. To govern in a more accessible fashion. We have a lot on our plate & I'm grateful to continue being a part of it with you all. Oh, and run for office. Again & again. Exercise your civic voice." Candidates Night, on March 31, gave Select Board and assessor candidates chances to reveal their views, and they took on affordable housing, community outreach and assessments. The public looked forward to hearing from the Housing Authority hopefuls, but were disappointed. Mitropoulos was present, but Fontenot was not, as she was giving birth, and league rules do not permit one candidate to speak. Town Meeting candidates Candidates' Night, held Wednesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. Local issues were discussed with candidates from your precinct who are running to be your representatives in Town Meeting. There were individual break-out rooms for each precinct. The League of Women Voters, in partnership with Envision Arlington, invited all candidates for Town Meeting to submit personal statements, which are available here >> Here's the list to date, first for townwide offices from the town website (* = candidate for reelection): Select Board (2 seats for 3-year terms) Jennifer R. Susse (applied 12/16/20, certified 1/25/21)John R. Hurd* (applied 12/16/20, certified 2/1/21)Eric D. Helmuth (applied 12/17/20, certified 1/5/21) School Committee (2 seats for 3-year terms) Jane P. Morgan* (applied 12/17/20, certified 1/7/21)Jeffrey D. Thielman* (applied 12/18/20, certified 1/22/21) Board of Assessors (1 seat for 3-year term: Kevin Feeley was reelected in 2018) Kevin P. Feeley* (applied 2/4/21, certified 2/18/21)Guillermo S. Hamlin (applied 12/18/20, certified 1/26/21)Phillip P. Lohnes (applied 1/8/2021, certified 2/19/21) Housing Authority (1 seat for 5-year term) Nicholas C. Mitropoulos* (applied 1/7/21, certified 2/16/21)Kelda Fontenot (applied 2/19/21, certified 2/22/21) An additional 1-year remainder term is occupied by a vacancy appointment. On Nov. 30, Fiorella Badilla was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Richard Murray. Town Meeting member seats on the ballots Precinct 1 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 2 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 3 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 4 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 5 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 2 yearsPrecinct 6 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 7 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 8 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 9 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 10 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 11 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 12 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 13 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 14 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 15 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 16 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 1 yearPrecinct 17 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 18 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 2 yearsPrecinct 19 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 1 yearPrecinct 20 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 21 – 4 seats for 3 years Earlier 2021 town election information April 4, 2021: Select Board, assessor responses highlight Candidates' NightMarch 16, 2021: Fontenot challenges AHA incumbent, backs inclusionMarch 18, 2021: AHA chairman seeks reelection, touts experience March 8, 2021: CPA, 61, seeks seat on Board of AssessorsFeb. 12, 2021: Curro resigns from board 2 months earlyJan. 27, 2021: Hurd seeks reelection to Select BoardJan. 17, 2021: Precinct 14 meeting member eyes Board of AssessorsJan. 13, 2021: Helmuth, in first Select Board run, eyes change via listeningJan. 3, 2021: Susse calls housing her focus in Select Board run Dec. 1, 2020: Curro declines to seek reelection to Select Board League of Women Voters' guide to all of the candidates | Menotomy Matters' election guide YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.