Write-in candidate Blakeslee wins Selectboard seat in Charlemont

Charlemont resident Mary Malmros is checked in to vote at Hawlemont Regional School on Tuesday by election workers Kathy Hallenbeck and Lydia Canon.

Charlemont resident Mary Malmros is checked in to vote at Hawlemont Regional School on Tuesday by election workers Kathy Hallenbeck and Lydia Canon. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

KIM ALISON BLAKESLEE

KIM ALISON BLAKESLEE

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

For The Recorder

Published: 06-06-2024 11:26 AM

Modified: 06-06-2024 12:13 PM


CHARLEMONT — Write-in candidate Kim Alison Blakeslee is the newest Selectboard member, having won in a contest against ballot candidate Stephen W. Thayer by a 95-77 vote.

After Tuesday’s election, Blakeslee said she was overwhelmed by the community support, given that her campaign only started about three weeks before the election.

“I just felt there was a big outpouring of love from the community,” Blakeslee said. “Those who supported me had spoken highly enough of me so that people who didn’t even know me were willing to vote for me.

“The amount of love and support I’ve experienced through that was really an honor,” she continued. “While there will be a learning curve for me [on the Selectboard], I feel certain I will be effective in serving that role.”

Blakeslee will be filling the two-year term left by William Harker when he resigned.

Town Clerk Thorne Palmer said 189 voters came out for Tuesday’s election, approximately 20% of Charlemont’s 919 registered voters.

The results of the other races on the ballot, all uncontested, are as follows:

■ Selectboard (three years) — Jared C. Bellows.

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■ Town moderator (one year) — Robert E. Handsaker.

■ Board of Assessors (three years) — Anthony J. Ostroski.

■ Board of Health (three years) — Doug Telling (accepted a write-in post).

■ Planning Board (five years) — Failure to elect.

■ Planning Board (two years) — Write-in candidate Elizabeth Bouyea.

■ Planning Board associate member (three years) — Write-in candidate William Harker.

■ Constable (three years) — Jared C. Bellows.

■ Hawlemont School Committee (three years) — John S. Hoffman.

■ Mohawk Trail School Committee (three years) — Failure to elect.

■ Local Education Council (two years) — Ashley Sparks.

■Library trustee (three years) — Esther A. Haskell.

■ Parks and Recreation Commission (five years) — Thomas W. Shields.