Alna voters chose a change in select board and road commissioner leadership at the ballot box Friday, March 22. Select board Chair Ed Pentaleri, who sought reelection to the two-year term with no opponent on the ballot, was surpassed by six votes by write-in Nicholas Johnston.
Pentaleri was elected to the board’s second seat in 2018, did not seek reelection the following term, and ran again in late 2021 to fill a vacancy. Voters elected him to another two-year term in 2022.
“I know that I and a lot of other people were disappointed by the outcome,” he said after the meeting. “The result reinforces the importance of every individual’s vote, even when it appears that there is only one candidate who is unopposed.”
Pentaleri said that if he realized there was a challenger for the seat, he would have worked harder to encourage voter turnout.
“I intend to remain engaged in the community, and am committed to doing what I can for the benefit of the town,” he said.
A flier for Johnston’s write-in campaign said he would be “a voice of reason and common sense.”
Voters also chose a change in road commissioner, electing Mike Trask by 138 votes over incumbent Jeffrey Verney’s 108 votes. Verney held the position for 11 years. Trask, also the town’s fire chief, was road commissioner before him from 2001-2011.
In other municipal results, Shelby Biddy was reelected to the RSU 12 Board of Directors and Amy Stockford was elected from the floor as cemetery trustee at annual town meeting the following day.
