Angela Desveaux casts her ballot in Somerville on Tuesday, June 8. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Somerville First Selectman Chris Johnson fended off a write-in campaign to win a second three-year term Tuesday, June 8.
Johnson received 87 votes to 55 write-in votes for Road Commissioner Willard Pierpont. Johnson chairs the board of selectmen.
Pierpont, who ran unopposed for road commissioner, won a second one-year term with 112 votes.
Deborah Myers, who ran unopposed for a three-year term on the RSU 12 Board of Directors, received 129 votes. She will replace Frank Hample, who did not seek reelection.
Voters approved all 24 articles on the ballot for the annual town meeting by referendum.
Voters decided to start saving for fire truck purchases with an initial appropriation of $10,000 into a reserve fund. Town officials plan to add funds each year, with the intent of having cash on hand for matching grants when a new truck is needed. The vote was 78-60 in favor of funding the reserve account.
Voters supported the establishment of a five-member municipal broadband board in the event that the town successfully secures a ConnectMaine grant to build a town-owned broadband network. The board would oversee franchise agreements with internet service providers, including performance requirements, and would manage broadband funds.
The selectmen would appoint members of the broadband board for offset five-year terms. The vote was 79-58 in favor of the broadband board.
Voters approved a 2021-22 municipal budget totaling $551,694, a decrease of $3,072 or 0.55%. The budget includes $243,988 to maintain and repair roads, an increase of $6,302 or 2.65%; $149,233 for general operations, an increase of $12,472 or 9.12%; and $86,422 as a payment on the town’s roadwork bond.
“Tuesday’s vote showed that the people of Somerville value their voting rights by turning out in good numbers to approve the town’s budget and elect officers,” Johnson said in an email Wednesday, June 9.
“I look forward to Somerville returning to in-person town meetings and hope that when we do, everyone is just as interested in participating in the process,” Johnson said. “It will likely be a bit of a celebration of doing things together again after the past year.”
