ESSEX — Residents steadily streamed into the Essex Public Safety Building, the town’s single polling place, to cast ballots in Essex’s municipal election on Monday.
Voters faced two major questions: Should the town assess an additional $698,196 in real estate and personal property taxes to supplementing the Manchester Essex Regional School District assessment for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and should incumbent Select Board Chair Ruth Pereen keep her seat for another three years or should challenger Ann Cameron fill it.
Polls close Monday at 8 pm.
Dan Marshall was one of those who voted Monday afternoon. He was clear about his position on the override request.
“I voted no because our taxes are already high enough,” he said. “It never ends. It’s always more, more, more.”
Standing next to and echoing Marshall was Joanne Henderson.
“I voted no because it’s hard enough for the seniors to live in this town,” she said. “It’s hard enough for us to pay our bills.”
Walter Dexter Tindley said the school override request was the reason he came out to vote. He said it was unacceptable to offer the question in light of enrollment figures for Essex students recently declining.
“That’s why I voted,” he said. “They have (fewer) kids then they’ve had in the past. There are too many yuppies in town. I say no to the override.”
Down the street from the Public Safety Building ,several residents were holding signs backing the Select Board candidates and showing support for the override.
Resident Brian Gressler backed the override question.
“I think it benefits the whole town,” he said. “You can’t live forever on the Proposition 2 1/2. Eventually, inflation catches up.”
Select Board candidate Cameron was part of the crowd. She said her supporters had been encouraging people to vote Monday.
“We want to make sure we have enough people out and voting,” she said. “I think it will be close or I’ll get creamed.”
Not far from Cameron was Pereen, her opponent.
“I think it’s exciting that we have a contested selectmen’s race,” Pereen said. “I think it’s nice to see so much support from our community.”
Town Clerk Amy Akell said 439 of the town’s approximately 3,000 registered voters had cast ballots by 1 p.m. Monday.
“It’s been steady all day,” she said. “Knock on wood, everything is going smoothly.”
If the Proposition 2 ½ ballot question were to fail, then a special Town Meeting would be called, to be followed by a special election. At that point, were the question to still fail, then a “Super Town Meeting” would take place with Manchester and Essex residents participating, Akell said.
If the override fails to pass, the next steps will be activated based on Massachusetts general laws, Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said.
“Chapter 71, Section 16B dictates the process,” he said. “It is possible that a special election may also be necessary but that depends on the number that the School Committee provides after reconsideration of the budget has been completed.”
According to the Massachusetts General Laws, if one of the member districts part of a regional school district votes not to appropriate money during an override request, the following takes place:
“The regional school district committee shall convene a special district-wide meeting open to all registered voters in both municipalities at which the amended regional school district budget, proposed by the regional school district committee, shall be considered.”
Other races on the ballot, all non-contested, were candidate Jacob Geoffrey Foster for the Manchester Essex Regional School District School Committee, Planning Board member Lisa O’Donnell running for re-election, and Robert Fitzgibbon for a seat on the Board of Library Trustees.
There were no candidates listed on the ballot for seats on the Board of Health and the Board of Assessors, meaning a write-in candidate could win the seat.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.