Wellesley voters on Tuesday re-elected Colette Aufranc and welcomed back Marjorie Freiman in a contested Select Board race between four candidates, according to unofficial results posted by the Town Clerk.
Aufranc, who stressed her financial skills and transportation focus during the campaign, had the highest vote total among Select Board candidates, with 3,249.
Aufranc thanked her campaign team as well as other supporters on Wednesday: “Thank you to the countless residents and town government volunteers who gave generously of their time in conversation relaying to me what their questions and concerns were, and what matters to them.”
Freiman, who served on the Select Board from 2015-2021 and cited her experience and collaborative approach, edged incumbent Ann-Mara Lanza by fewer than 250 votes (they each topped each other in four precincts). Lanza has been a strong advocate for expanded housing opportunities in town, and also pointed to her work with the libraries, League of Women Voters, and more, during her campaign.
Odessa Sanchez, who serves on the town’s Housing Authority Board, finished fourth in the contest.
Complete unofficial results are embedded below. This includes town-wide, Town Meeting, and Presidential Primary results.
Just over a third of the town’s active registered voters cast ballots—that’s well above the quarter of registered voters who cast ballots a year ago during a non-Presidential Primary election.
In another town-wide contested race, Patty Mallett retained her seat on the Planning Board, whose actions have been closely watched in light of high-profile housing development proposals. Mallet, who during the campaign highlighted her technical expertise as a registered civil engineer and her knowledge of the town’s zoning bylaw, defeated Grant Pollock by a vote count of 3,497 to 1,524.
Natural Resources Commission Chair Bea Bezmalinovic retained her seat on this body that oversees the use, preservation and protection of the town’s parks and conservation areas. Steve Park, a veteran of the town’s Trails Committee, won the other vacant seat, with Kenneth Largess coming in third in a close finish. Park replaces Laura Robert, whose term ended.
In the Presidential Primary voting in Wellesley, Joe Biden easily won the Democratic vote, while in the Republican contest Nikki Haley topped Donald Trump with more than double the number of votes. Trump defeated Haley in the state, and across the country on Super Tuesday (with the exception of Vermont), with Haley exiting the race on Wednesday.
Congrats to all who ran for office as well as everyone who voted and helped to run the the town election.
The updated unofficial results (March 6) include hand-counted ballots, leaving only provisional and write-in ballots to be added. At this point, the few provisionals won’t change the outcomes, the Town Clerk says.
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