HEATH — The town election on Friday, May 8, will see voters decide the outcome of contested races for seats on the Selectboard and the Municipal Light Board.
For a three-year term on the Selectboard, incumbent Elissa Viarengo is facing a challenge from new candidate Tucker Jenkins. For two seats on the Municipal Light Board, incumbent David Gordon is running for reelection, along with new candidates Dena Briggs and William Fontes.
Polls will be open from noon to 7 p.m. at the Jacobs Road Municipal Center.
Elissa Viarengo
Viarengo, 59, has served on the Selectboard for the past three years, and is retired after working for 25 years as a holistic health care practitioner. She said she’s running for reelection because she wants to continue building the momentum the Selectboard has built over the past year. She said members have “found their wheelhouses and can cover a great deal of town responsibilities together.”
“It feels like it takes three years just to get settled in the seat and I feel like I’ve just hit my stride,” Viarengo added.
If reelected, Viarengo said one of her personal goals is to educate herself about the lack of funding coming from the state in support of rural schools.
“I’m not understanding the disconnect from what is being reported to the state about the challenges that are being faced, and the lack of action being taken to lessen the budgetary stress of the ever-increasing costs,” Viarengo said.
Viarengo said she’s served on a plethora of boards and committees, including, but not limited to, multiple school committees and homeowners associations. She said that before joining the Selectboard, municipal service was unlike anything she had ever done before. Viarengo said she attended meetings for three months prior to running and “walked away from each meeting feeling excited and wanting to learn more.”
“I thought it was something I could do to serve the community that my family has been a part of and loved for the past 35 years,” she said.
Viarengo is co-president of the Heath Agricultural Society, which puts on the Heath Fair every August.
Tucker Jenkins
Jenkins, 29, serves on the Board of Health, has been a Heath resident since 2001 and attended the now-closed Heath Elementary School as a child. He said he wants to give back to the town where his roots are in a meaningful way.
“As a young homeowner and understanding the financial challenges that we all face, that I feel every day,” Jenkins said, “I wanted to give voice to my neighbors who might not be able to attend every meeting, might not be able to attend every board or committee, or have time to volunteer. [I] really want to be a voice for everybody and bridge the gap, and come up with solutions for the town, some of which are used in other jurisdictions and other communities that might be useful for Heath.”
Jenkins previously served as the school resource officer and co-taught forensic science at Mohawk Trail Regional School in Buckland. He was investigated by the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office in early 2025 after misconduct allegations arose over whether he was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old student. The DA’s office ultimately concluded that no crime occurred, and Jenkins remains employed as a detective with the Shelburne Police Department.
When asked on Wednesday morning if there was anything he’d like to say to voters regarding this previous media coverage, Jenkins replied, “No. I’m focused on Heath, I have a focus on being a voice for my community, handling everything with professionalism and [to] keep doing the best I can for my community.”
Jenkins said something he’s seen work well in other towns is bringing all of the boards together, “at least annually, so we’re not duplicating work.” He said he’ll listen to all Heath residents, not just the ones who can attend meetings. Other towns, he said, have approached him and want to collaborate with Heath so they can be “stronger together.”
Prior to his Selectboard run, Jenkins had previously thrown his hat in the ring for the open state representative seat for the 1st Franklin District, but he later decided to “start local.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about giving back to the town I love,” Jenkins said.
Municipal Light Board candidates
Fontes, 59, is seeking a seat on the Municipal Light Board after having previously served on it for four years. His second term was up and he decided not to seek reelection at the time, but he was encouraged by a current board member to run again this year. He’s retired and previously worked for Verizon for 25 years in telecommunications.
“The whole point of the board, what we have discussed in the past, is to provide low-cost, reliable broadband to Heath,” said Fontes, who moved to town six years ago. “I’d like to continue to provide a reliable, relatively low-cost internet option.”
Gordon and Briggs could not be reached by press time on Wednesday.
Gordon, the incumbent in the race, has served on the Municipal Light Board since 2021, when he was elected to a two-year term. He was reelected to a three-year term in 2023.
Briggs currently serves as chair of the Finance Committee. She was elected in 2024.
Other positions
Outside of Selectboard and Municipal Light Board, there are no other contested races on Heath’s ballot. There are no ballot candidates running for a two-year seat on the Planning Board or a two-year seat on the School Committee.
The uncontested positions are as follows:
- Board of Assessors: incumbent Anne Emmet, three-year term.
- Finance Committee: incumbent Wendy Whalen, three-year term.
- Planning Board: incumbent Peter Charow, five-year term.
- Library trustee: incumbent Emily Cross, three-year term.
- Constable: incumbent William Emmet, three-year term.
- Moderator: incumbent Eric Sumner, three-year term.
