SHELBURNE — Jason Cusimano came out of Monday’s town election victorious, earning a seat on the Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee over challenger Alex Bogel.
It was a close race, according to Town Clerk Joe Judd, as Cusimano earned 66 votes to Bogel’s 54.
Cusimano previously served on the School Committee for four years, with experience serving on various subcommittees focused on policy, personnel, hiring, buildings and budgeting. He is an alumnus of Colrain Central School and Mohawk Trail Regional School. At a Candidates Night held last week, he said he missed the School Committee during his time off and feels like “the work just isn’t done.”
Judd also said that of the roughly 1,400 registered Shelburne voters, 144 turned out on Monday. Polls were open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Cowell Gymnasium.
While Judd mentioned that the turnout was fairly low, he said he was grateful not only for those Shelburne residents who did cast their votes, but for the election workers who stuck it out in the 98-degree heat throughout the day.
“It was just very, very hot,” Judd explained. “It could have impacted the turnout, but it definitely impacted the workers because the polling location doesn’t have any air conditioning.”
Usually the election is in May — about two weeks after the Annual Town Meeting — and Judd said he’s excited to get back to that timeframe, without the heat, when there’s no longer the need to conform to COVID-19 protocols.
The three-year Planning Board term had a failure to elect because the same individual was voted into the five-year term by a greater majority. Judd said either the Selectboard will appoint someone or the position will stay vacant.
The results of the remaining uncontested races are as follows:
■Selectboard, three-year term: Andrew Baker
■Assessor, three-year term: Joel Dwight
■Town clerk, one-year term: Joe Judd
■Moderator, one-year term: Roland Giguere
■Shelburne Free Public Library trustees, three-year terms: Emmalee Cross (write-in) and Thomas Hale
■Planning Board, five-year term: Seth Wilschutz (write-in)
■Recreation Committee, five-year term Jackie Walsh (write-in)
■Housing Authority, five-year term: Kim Levitch
■Tree warden, one-year term: James Richardson
■Constable, three-year term: Laura Manners