Aidan Pollard Jul 19, 2021
ROCHESTER The town settled on a top candidate for the position of town planner at a July 19 Selectmen’s meeting, choosing to enter contract negotiations with Kaitlin Young.
“I think she’s a good fit for the town of Rochester,” Selectman Brad Morse said, noting that she “comes with a lot of experience,” both in town planning and as a conservation agent in Maynard.
Morse noted that she’s looking to move into the area.
“Sounds great,” Selectman Woody Hartley said.
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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.
The Wanderer
Rochester Election Review
May 23, 2021
Editor’s note: The Wanderer invited candidates in contested races (more candidates than open seats) to write up to 350 words explaining their candidacy. Questions submitted by the League of Women Voters South Coast helped provide talking points for the candidates. Three candidates are running for two open seats on the Rochester Planning Board. The only entry submitted is below:
Dennis McCarthy – Rochester Planning Board
My name is Dennis McCarthy and I am running for Rochester Planning Board. I decided to run for several reasons. The first is that I believe in service. I served more than eight years in the military and my eldest son is currently on active duty. Another reason is that I believe more residents should have an active interest in town government. I was somewhat surprised when I found out that several seats on some of the boards will go unfilled because nobody is running for them.
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.