ROCKPORT — Tuesday’s town election saw the two incumbents hold their seats in the race for Board of Selectmen.
The Selectmen’s race included four candidates for two available seats – John “Jack” B. Porter and Franklyn J. “Frank” Favaloro, both Fire Department retirees, challenging incumbent Selectmen Paul F. Murphy and Ross Charles Brackett.
Brackett and Murphy both won, with Brackett earning 1,562 votes and Murphy picking up 1,515 votes. Candidate Porter earned 991 votes and candidate Favaloro won 964 votes. The two selectmen terms are three years each.
Rockport Town Clerk Melanie Waddell said at noon that each of the three polling sites in town had been active. Waddell provided the unofficial election results at 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
“The election day voting has been busy,” Waddell said. “It’s been steady all day.”
Voters cast ballots at – Precinct 1 at the Town Hall Annex at 26 Broadway, Precinct 2 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 24 Broadway and Precinct 3 at the Community House at 58 Broadway.
Rockport Select Board member Denise Donnelly, who was not on Tuesday’s ballot, said the turnout at the polls was promising.
“I think people should head to the polls because local elections really affect your everyday life,” she said. “The reality is it really does affect you. I think the turnout has been good so far. I like to see voters stay engaged.”
Donnelly’s term runs to 2025. The terms for fellow Select Board members Sarah Wilkinson and Herman Lilja both expire next year.
The races
Other contested races included the run to follow in the footsteps of outgoing and longtime Town Moderator Bob Visnick, who decided not to run for reelection.
The two candidates for the Town Moderator post were former Town Clerk Patricia E. Brown and attorney Brian H. Sullivan.
Sullivan topped Brown, winning 1,377 votes versus the 1,039 votes picked up by Brown. The winner earned a seat for a three-year term at Town Moderator.
Also, two candidate vied for a five-year term on the Rockport Housing Authority, with Peter Norman Souza Jr. and Jonathan E. Ring facing each other. Souza won earning 1,680 votes against the 730 votes won by Ring. The open seat on the Housing Authority has been held by outgoing member John Knowlton.
Other races included the run for Assessor of Taxes, with Christopher Trupiano winning the race by earning 1,956 votes for reelection for a three-year term. He was unopposed.
Two candidates ran and won three-year terms on the Planning Board. The winning candidates were Harry Koreslund, who earned 1,546 votes and Robert Bruce Simmons who won 1,518 votes.
In the run for a three-year term as Trustee of Public Library, candidate Cynthia H. Sharfstein won reelection, earning 2,040 votes. Sharfstein ran unopposed.
Finally, two candidates faced each other for two three-year terms on the School Committee. Wining seats were incumbent Nicole SA Altieri who earned 1,677 votes and also Amy Oaks, who won 1,663 votes. The two candidates were running for two open seats on the School Board.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@northofboston.com.