The Rochester Town Election on May 28 defeated a move to make the Town Clerk an appointed, rather than an elected position and sparked a recount in the race for Park Commission.
A total of 349 voters said “yes” to the question of whether to change the Town Clerk to an appointed position instead of an elected one. But 516 voters said “no,” defeating the measure by 167 votes. “The people had their choice,” Town Clerk Marjorie Barrows said, declining to say how she felt personally about the question’s failure. “That’s the power of voting.”
Last Wednesday’s election also voted to replace veteran Park Commissioner David Hughes with youth sports coach and mechanical engineer Nate Reece, but by a narrow margin. Reece won the Park Commission seat by 10 votes. He garnered 480 votes, while Hughes received 470 votes.
When asked on Wednesday if he is considering a recount in his race against Reece, Hughes said he wasn’t sure. “I have to weigh it out. I don’t want it to be a burden to the town, the cost. And would it make much of a difference? I congratulate him. He worked hard.”
But On Sunday, Hughes announced to The Wanderer his decision to ask for that recount. “Today (Sunday) I just put a letter in the mailbox of the Town Hall for the Town Clerk,” he said in a telephone message. “I am going for a recount.”
Wednesday found Reece a bit surprised by his apparent win. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said moments after Barrows read the results. “Dave was running on his reputation. I had no prediction. I am a little shocked. If I had lost, I wouldn’t be surprised. But I think this town was ready to hear from a young voice. There are a lot more young people in town now.”
As to what his future plans would be for his stint on the commission, he said he has some ideas but first he will confer with his fellow board members. Yes, he is still interested in exploring a larger plan for the Raynor Gifford Park where a new 3,649 square-foot, $81,724.68 playground was the only renovation this May. He recently presented such a proposal to the Select Board, but he wants public agreement with any plan first. “I will talk to the Park Commission and see where things stand,” he said. “I’d like public engagement. What do they want that will impact them?”
Elsewhere on the ballot, an open seat on the Rochester Memorial School Committee went to Kirstin Jimenez, the RMS Parent Teacher Organization President. Jimenez won with 498 votes against 461 votes for Barbara Lee.
Meg Hughes was the top vote getter for a spot on the Cemetery Commission, with nine votes. This position had no official candidate on the ballot, and she was a write-in candidate. For Planning Board, Michael Murphy received 683 votes as an official candidate on the ballot. Current Planning Board member Matt Bache received 26 write-in votes for re-election.
A total of 980 voters cast their ballots last Wednesday, which is 20% of the town’s registered voters. Barrows said last year’s turnout was roughly 1,400 voters but that this year’s turnout was pretty good, too. “It was close to 1,000,” she said.
Rochester 2025 Annual Town Election
By Michael J. DeCicco