LONGMEADOW — In an election season that saw several candidates vying for positions on the Longmeadow Select Board and School Committee, voters stayed the course with familiar faces, while also embracing new voices in town government.
Interest in serving on the Select Board led to a preliminary election on May 6, as five people sought two seats. That election narrowed the field to four candidates: incumbents Mark Gold and Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett, who serves on the Finance Committee, and newcomer Shelly Maynard-DeWolf. After the polls closed in the June 3 town election, Zwirko had secured another three-year term, with 1,219 votes.
Maynard-DeWolf earned 1,150 votes, unseating longtime board member Gold, who had 733 ballots cast. Garrett received 689 votes.
Three seats on the School Committee brought the town a choice of five candidates. With 1,375 votes, incumbent Zachary Verriden won reelection to a three-year term. A second three-year term was won by Emily Hansen, with 1,426 ballots cast. Joel Illouz was unsuccessful in his bid for one of the two available three-year seats, receiving 483 votes. Kate Bean won a two-year term on the School Committee with 1,228 votes. Her opponent, Gregory Macdonald, received 627 votes.
There were two other positions on the ballot that were uncontested. For a seat on the Planning Board, 1,527 people voted to reelect Cheryl Thibideau. A seat on the Housing Authority was won by Sanjiv Reejhsinghani, who received 1,409 votes.
Voter turnout was slightly higher than usual. The election brought 2,147 people to the polls, 16.5% of Longmeadow’s 13,007 registered voters. In recent years, turnout has ranged from 7.5% to 12.4%
The newly elected officials will be sworn in by Town Clerk Timothy Donnelly and seated at the next meeting of their respective boards and committees.
