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Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Quick Article Index . . .
Vieira, Coyne and Ouellette win. Valcourt out.
What's up,
or not up with the Route 88 Bridge?
WFA
announces 1st Annual Bass and Blues Fishing Tournament.
|
Vieira, Coyne and Ouellette win. Valcourt out. EverythingWestport.com Tuesday,
April 12, 2011
In a stinging rebuke to progressive politics, Westport voters swept independent
and conservative candidates into executive power, promising change to this
pastoral community's governing landscape. Farmer and educator Antone "Tony" C. Vieira Jr., and businessman
James W. Coyne Jr. won seats on the Board of Selectmen. Brian Valcourt lost his re-election bid. And Steven Ouellette
retained his seat, but will probably lose his chairmanship. Left: Newly elected Selectman Antone Vieira, accompanied by his wife, is sworn in by
Town Clerk Marlene Samson. Vieira, an independent, had promised to improve the efficiency, accountability,
and transparency of town government. "I believe our town government and the town’s decision-making process
needs to be more open and transparent," Vieira told voters. Vieira was top vote-getter among the
three candidates with 1949 or 32.64 percent. Vieira was one vote short of winning
all five precincts, an implausible feat considering the low voter turnout of
29.55 percent. In a strange twist of Machiavellian politics, incumbent
Brian Valcourt was defeated in his attempt for a
second term after successfully suing the town to place his name on the ballot
after when he didn't submit his certified nomination papers to the Town Clerk
by the deadline of March 8th. Click here to read the article. In the race to fill the one-year
unexpired term of departing selectman Paul Schmid, recently elected to
represent Westport in the state legislature, James W. Coyne Jr. handily beat
Elaine Ostroff, 1,662 to 1,347. The Westport businessman had told voters that
it was "my belief the one-year
term of Selectman will give me an opportunity to serve the Town of Coyne took the one-year term with
51.09 percent of the vote to Ostroff's 41.41. In other races, embattled Highway
Surveyor Harold "Jack" Sisson had the last word in a landslide
re-election victory over rivals Mauk, Medeiros and
Urban, garnering a stunning 55 percent of the total vote in a four way race,
collecting 1,859 votes to his nearest challenger's 846. The popular Sisson easily overcame
equipment inventory paperwork issues with a track record of efficiently
serving the town. He was criticized for using
"chip seal" surfacing on Westport roads, a technique used by many
communities to save money without sacrificing any measurable quality. And the town's electorate again went
with proven performance over attack politics by keeping incumbent Health
Board member Donna Lambert for another three-year term. Lambert handily beat
back challenger Kimberley Fernandes 1,687 to 1,490. The two candidates had mixed it up at
Candidates' Night at the Westport High School. Incumbent Michelle Duarte of Westport
Cares crossed the finish line a couple of furlongs ahead of businessman
Antonio Viveiros for a two-year term stint on the
School Committee, and incumbent George Yeomans
easily notched another three-year term as Fish Commissioner, finishing well
ahead of challenger Everett B. Mills II, 1,798 to 892. Mills was practically invisible in
the race, not participating in any of candidates' debates or the yard sign
wars that overtook Westport the better part of a month.
Left:
Bill Burns of Horseneck Farms congratulates Board of Health member Donna
Lambert at the VFW on State Road on her strong finish. Right:
Vieira supporters watched the vote tallies come in on cable at the VFW. Popular Town
Clerk Marlene Samson was again the top vote getter with 2628 votes. According
to Samson, "I expected close to 40 percent of the town's registered
voters to turn out."
"I
was surprised by the lower turnout of 29.5 percent, with
3,455 of Westport’s 11,691 registered voters going to the polls," Samson
said.. The
Town Hall Annex had the highest turnout at 34.47 percent; the American Legion
Hall the least, 24.7 percent. Right:
Greg Barnes casts the last ballot of the evening, exactly at 8:00 p.m., at the Town Hall Annex. There
are 4608 democrats, 1401 republicans, 5613 independents, and 69 others
registered in Westport, for a total of 11,691 registered voters.. According
to Assistant Registrar Dottie Sylvia, "There has been an increase in registrations
for republicans and independents, and a decrease for democrats. Westport Selectmen are
responsible for appointments to town boards and committees, the profile of
which is sure to change over the next year.
Left: rain throughout the day brought out the slickers and
umbrellas, but not voters as there was a lower-than-expected turnout. Right:
Westport Registrars tally up the counts in the Town Clerk's office.
Left:
successful candidate for two-year School Committee, Michelle Duarte, waves to
passers-by at the High School. Right: The Highway Department fixes a
pothole at the entrance to the Westport High School as campaign staff workers
look on. Jack's back on the job. 3-Year
Selectmen’s Race (two seats)
All results are unofficial. Absentee
ballots not yet received have 10 days to be counted. One-year
unexpired Selectman's Race
Three-year Board
of Health
Two-year School
Committee
Three-year
Highway Surveyor
Three-year Fish
Commissioner
Running unopposed for town office: Marlene M.
Samson for Town Clerk - 2628 votes (6
Write-ins) !!! Top Vote Getter
!!! George E.
Foster for Treasurer - 2408 (7 Write-ins) Carol A.
Borden for Collector of Taxes - 2559 votes (4 Write-ins) John J.
McDermott for Assessor - 2399 votes (8
Write-ins) Michael P.
Sullivan for three-year School Committee - 2208 votes (10 Write-ins) Paul R.
Jennings for Regional School Committee - 2183 votes (5 Write-ins) Joseph Migliori for Constable - 1807 votes (3 Write-ins) William A. Pariseau for Constable - 1978 votes Pauline B.
Dooley for Trustee of Free Public Library - 1978 votes (1 Write-in) James J.
Walsh Jr. for Trustee of Free Public Library - 1691 votes Harold
“Jack” Sisson Jr. for Landing Commissioner - 2330 votes (25 Write-ins) Veronica F.
Beaulieu for Housing Authority - 2327 votes (9
Write-ins) John
Montano for Planning Board - 2137 votes (8
Write-ins) Maxwell F.
Turner for Board of Commissioners Of Trust Funds - 2152 votes (5 Write-ins)
Selectman Richard Spirlet announces election results over the town's cable
channel with color provided by now "former Selectman" Paul Schmid.
Candidates and campaign workers enjoy
the moment at the Town Hall Annex. What's up, or not up with the Route
88 Bridge? EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
April 13, 2011 What's up, or not up with the Route 88 Bridge? N.E.L.
Corporation workers out of Middleton, Massachusetts, bridge restoration
experts, have been working under the span over the Westport River for the
past few weeks, and according to Westport Harbormaster, Richie Earle, we can
expect them to be there another two months. It seems some scheduled maintenance
and updating to the draw bridge's sub-structure has been planned for some
time, according to Earle, who believes it's all part of the state's master
plan in the N.E.L. Corp. was pretty tight-lipped
about the work, so we can only wonder what trolls may be lurking under the
bridge's surface. Earle thinks the addition of a center
barrier rail on the bridge's main span some time ago points to planned work
that would require traffic to travel on only one lane during restoration and
repair work. "They found lots of needed
repairs during the resurfacing of the bridge's super structure," Earle
said. Among the difficulties were wiring
deterioration, burnt out and corroded motors, and the channel fenders had to
be updated (in case boats bumped against the bridge's supports.) "They are primarily working under
the draw bridge span," Earle said. "They're cutting rivets, banging
and making all kinds of noise." "Once they finish up on one side
they will redirect terrific to the other side and continue doing what they're
doing," Earle said. "I expect they will be there for
the next few months." The bridge was dedicated to SP4
Normand E. Fontaine who was killed in action in Vietnam on May 8, 1968.
WFA announces 1st Annual Bass and
Blues Fishing Tournament. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, April 14, 2011 The Westport Fishermen’s Association is
working out the final details of its first Bass and Blues Fishing Tournament, to be held July 16th to 24th.
There are plans to conclude the tournament with a barbecue reception and
awards ceremony at the Just Beer Brewery in Westport. You will receive
a free T-shirt and a BBQ reception with your registration. There will be an
award ceremony during the BBQ to include Cash Prizes for 1st place (largest
by weight) - $250 for the largest Striped Bass and $100 for the largest Blue
Fish. Other prizes will be awarded for other categories. There will be
chances to win fishing equipment and gift certificates. Registration
fees are $40 for adults and $10 for kids. Registration deadline is 10 a.m., Saturday,
July 16, 2011. So mark your calendars and plan to
join us for what we hope to be a fun day for the whole family event. If you
are not a fisherman, consider joining us to volunteer during the tournament
as there are many ways in which you can help out and get involved. Applications and more information
will be available on-line by visiting www.westportriver.org beginning May 1st . - - - - - End - - - - - ©
2011 Community Events of Westport
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