According to unofficial election results released on Tuesday night, Wellesley Select Board incumbents Beth Sullivan Woods and Tom Ulfelder retained seats for their fourth terms in what was a tense three-candidate race. Contender Marc Charney, seeking to bring a new perspective to a board he said was too set its ways, finished third; he’ll remain chair of the Planning Board.
Sullivan Woods was the top vote getter with 2,624, and won all eight precincts, according to the unofficial results (write-ins and ballots that need to be researched will be added by the end of the week). She was followed by Ulfelder with 1,969 votes and Charney with 1,576.
The incumbents earned new three-year terms on the Select Board, which serves as the town’s chief executive body.
Sullivan Woods in the Select Board race emphasized making sure resident voices are heard on budget and other issues. Ulfelder said his experienced leadership would be valuable as the town faces challenges on the budget, capital spending, and housing and commercial development fronts.
Unlike with the Select Board, none of the four candidates in the only other contested town-wide race—running for two School Committee seats— were incumbents.
The top two vote getters were Costas Panagopoulos with 1,967 and Bob Sullivan with 1,803, both of whom earned three-year seats on the School Committee, which develops and manages school policies, and much more. Panagopoulos led voting in six of 8 precincts, with Sullivan capturing the other two.
Candidates Ayla Lari tallied 1,489 votes and Michael Robert Cave received 703.
Panagopoulos, a PhD, is a political science educator at Northeastern University, while Sullivan has a background in finance and business. And yes, it was a big night for the Sullivan family overall, as Bob Sullivan and Beth Sullivan Woods are siblings.
Overall, 20% of registered voters cast ballots (up from 17% last year).
Among the uncontested races, Mark Kaplan remains town moderator, Odessa Sanchez stays on the Housing Authority board, and Stephen Burtt is back with the Board of Assessors. New office holders include Maria Gallo Ashbrook and Aunoy Banerjee on the Board of Library Trustees, Joseph Schott and Melinda Arias-Voci on the Natural Resources Commission, and Susan Ecklund on the Board of Health.
See the complete unofficial results for all town-wide and Town Meeting seats.
Congrats to all who ran for office as well as everyone who voted and helped to run the town election.
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