MONTAGUE — Mike Nelson has been re-elected to the Selectboard for his third full term, defeating challenger Ashley Arthur.
The election was Monday afternoon. In an unofficial vote count published Tuesday morning on the Montague town website, Nelson had 706 votes, and Arthur had 395. (Town Clerk Deb Bourbeau noted on Monday that she expects the official count to take longer than usual, due to there being write-in candidates for several positions.)
Nelson has been on the Selectboard since 2013, and has been on the town Board of Health since 2005.
Arthur is the owner and chef of the Five Eyed Fox restaurant in Turners Falls. She said she wanted to serve on the Selectboard as a way to give back to the community, and that she would bring a unique perspective to the board as a younger member and a local business owner.
Arthur was not available for comment Tuesday morning.
Nelson, despite being an incumbent, ran as a write-in candidate. He was not officially nominated to the ballot, he said, due to a miscommunication over the nomination process. This led him to briefly reconsider whether to run for re-election.
Because most of public life was shut down from March through May, there were no public discussions between the two candidates. Instead, most discussion happened on social media, which, Nelson pointed out, is not an effective means for exchanging different points of view.
“I learned on the campaign trail that a lot of people … thought different things about us based on what they had heard, instead of hearing it straight from our mouths,” Nelson said.
“Conversations get very challenging on social media,” he continued. “Certainly people don’t get portrayed the way they should. And people act differently. All this is saying, I think myself and my opponent may not be as far off on our opinions as some think we are.”
Since the beginning of the race, political concerns over racism and the proper role of law enforcement have swelled up, both nationally and locally.
Montague has started planning a new advisory committee for reviewing the Police Department’s policies, which Nelson said he expects to be one of the Selectboard’s major projects now. The new committee will likely start meeting in the next few weeks, he said.
“I expect it to be uncomfortable. I expect it to be a challenging conversation,” he said. “But in the end, I think we’re going to come up with some great plans to make our department more equitable.”
Otherwise, the coronavirus pandemic is still a developing situation that is on the Selectboard’s agenda for every meeting. It has notably affected prospects for businesspeople in Turners Falls, and the board continues to seek new ways to support business in town, Nelson said.
Meanwhile, ongoing Selectboard projects are still happening. Nelson mentioned that the redevelopment of the Canal District has picked up momentum since last year, with the state agreeing to replace a defunct bridge later this year, and a new developer moving into one of the larger mill buildings in the district. Likewise, the General Pierce Bridge will be renovated by the state over the next few years, which Nelson noted will positively affect the town; and streetscape improvements in downtown Turners Falls continue, with a renovation of Spinner Park planned for 2021.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.