David Hughes defeated Brad Morse of a position on the Water Commission.
ROCHESTER Just 347 voters decided the outcome of three contested elections on May 26.
Newcomer Sarah Eby ousted 26-year incumbent Dale Barrows for a spot on the Board of Health, Rochester government veteran David Hughes won a seat on the Water Commission over Selectman Brad Morse, and Marc Rousseau and incumbent Lee Carr edged out newcomer Dennis McCarthy for a position on the Planning Board.
Eby received 182 votes for the Board of Health and Barrows received 154.
“I’m just excited to help care for our town,” Eby said, adding she’s excited “just to work with the other two members of the board to move forward post-pandemic and to grow safely.”
Brad Morse (left) and David Hughes (right) are running for Water Commission
ROCHESTER It’s Election Day in Rochester, and the race is on.
Registered Rochester voters can vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rochester Council on Aging.
There are three contested races in the election: Planning Board, Board of Health and Water Commission. But another four open positions in town government Moderator, Cemetery Commission and one of two seats on the Rochester Memorial School Committee have no candidates.
At Rochester Candidates Night on May 6, Selectman Woody Hartley encouraged residents to run for the open positions by way of write-in and “sticker” campaigns.
Aidan Pollard May 19, 2021
ROCHESTER David Hughes has been in town government for 60 years, and he thinks the Water Commission should be as independent as possible.
Hughes is opposed to his opponent Selectman Brad Morse’s campaign for the commission because he thinks the Water Commission shouldn’t be influenced by the Selectmen.
“I would be a single vote,” Hughes said. “My opponent would be two votes.”
Many of the responsibilities of the Water Commission and Board of Selectmen overlap and the two groups occasionally have joint meetings to hash out water-related issues together.
“With open communication … we don’t need another board voting on issues that pertain to water,” Hughes said.
Brad Morse (left) and David Hughes (right) are running for Water Commission
Dennis McCarthy is one of three Planning Board candidates
ROCHESTER For some contests in Rochester’s Town Election, the race is on for others, the town has had a hard time getting candidates to the starting line.
The election is on May 26 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rochester Council on Aging. Residents can also vote early by filling out a Vote By Mail application on townofrochestermass.com/town-clerk, or by voting early in person from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays at the town clerk’s office.
Aidan Pollard May 19, 2021
ROCHESTER Selectman Brad Morse is running for Water Commission in the May 26 election, and he thinks the town could use some better cohesion between its boards.
“Most decisions require both Board of Selectmen and Water Commission approval,” he said, adding “it’ll open up communication” if he’s on both boards.
Morse said he thinks “it’s a plus” to have someone serve on both the Board of Selectmen and Water Commission, in contrast to his opponent, David Hughes, who thinks the commission should be an entity unto itself.
Morse said being on both boards “will help the boards work together, which is why I decided to seek this position when it became available.”