Greenfield voters head to polls today

[ Originally published on: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 ]

GREENFIELD -- While mayoral candidate William Martin spent the day before town elections walking various Greenfield neighborhoods and talking with residents one last time, his opponent, Alfred Siano, spent the day gardening and doing lawn work.

'I'm going to talk with people in the mobile home park off Adams Road, on Brookside Avenue and at Greenfield Gardens,' said Martin. He said even though today's weather is supposed to be cool and rainy, he hopes voters will brave any rain.

'We all want to give the town a chance to advance,' he said.

'I'm just hanging low,' said Siano. 'Just taking the day around the house. No campaigning.'

Voters head to the polls today to choose the person who will serve for the next three years as Greenfield's second mayor.

The race between Martin and Siano began earlier this year with the April 21 preliminary elections.

Polls, which will be in the Greenfield High School gymnasium, will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Martin, 64, is a retired registered nurse who owns the Elizabeth House on Congress Street, supported housing for mostly veterans. He currently serves as Precinct 7 town councilor and is chairman of the Greenfield Redevelopment Authority. He lives at 125 Old Albany Road with his wife, Isabel.

Siano, 68, retired more than five years ago after working 34 years in pharmaceutical sales. He currently serves as one of the town's at-large councilors. He lives at 10 Meadow Wood Drive with his wife, Mary.

Town Clerk Maureen Winseck said Monday she'd had 'quite a few' requests for absentee ballots for this year's annual town elections, but could not say how many exactly.

'The requests and returns have been pretty steady,' said Winseck. 'I think we're going to have a pretty good turnout (today).'

Winseck said she doesn't expect any major problems at the polls.

There has, in recent days, been a small number of people standing on Greenfield streets asking voters to cast their vote for Mayor Christine Forgey, who came in third in the town's preliminary elections and would have to be written in on the ballot.

In the town's first mayoral election in 2003, 40 percent of registered voters turned out and in 2006, 56 percent turned out. Winseck isn't sure if turnout will be that high today.

School Committee

Besides the mayoral race, five people will vie for two seats and one will run unopposed for a seat on the School Committee.

Isaac Mass, 33, of 50 Linden Ave., will run against Marcia Day, 52, of 22 Arnold Lane, for a one-year seat on the School Committee.

Mass, a former town councilor, is currently attending law school full time and has worked in real estate.

Day works at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as a grants and contracts administrator.

Donovan Eastman, 36, of 7 Oak St., will run against Keith McCormic, 34, of 20 Prentice Ave., and write-in candidate Michael Phillips, 47, of 16 Barton Heights, for a two-year seat on the committee.

Eastman, who currently serves on the School Committee, is a freelance computer programmer.

McCormic is a teacher and technologist at the New England Adolescent Research Institute in Holyoke.

Phillips, an education activist who started the Web site

www.changegreenfield.com

and works at Yankee Candle Co. as an Internet strategist.

John Lunt, 46, of 114 Riddell St., will run unopposed for a three-year seat on the School Committee. He owns a business called LaMaison, which imports European giftware and sells to 300 retail stores nationwide.

Town Council

Six will run unopposed for seats on the council this year. They are:

u Timothy F. Farrell, incumbent, three-year councilor-at-large position.

u Tracey M. Sutphin, one-year councilor-at-large position.

u H. Peter Wood, three-year Precinct 1 position.

u Thomas C. McLellan, incumbent, three-year Precinct 2 position.

u Brickett M. Allis, incumbent, three-year Precinct 3 position.

u Mary-Catherine Sullivan, appointed this year, one-year Precinct 9 position.

Other

u Scott A. Cote for three years as assessor.

u William F. Doyle for three years as trustee of Soldiers Memorials (veteran).

u Priscilla F. Gordon for three years as trustee of Jennie L. Bascom Education Fund.

u RuthEllen M. Henry for three years as trustee of Soldiers Memorials (nonveteran).

u Timothy J. Strahan for one year as elector under the will of Oliver Smith.

u Sally M. Ahearn of 26 Ferrante Ave., a write-in candidate, for three years as trustee of A.K. Warner Trust Fund.

Buses

The town and Franklin Regional Transit Authority will provide rides to the polls from 9:45 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The following is the bus schedule:

u The Weldon House on High Street: 9:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., noon, 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m.

u The Hi-Rise on Congress Street: 9:47 a.m., 10:32 a.m., 11:17 a.m., 12:02 p.m., 12:47 p.m., 1:32 p.m.

u Court Square at Town Hall: 9:48 a.m., 10:33 a.m., 11:18 a.m., 12:03 p.m., 12:48 p.m., 1:33 p.m.

u Mill House South on Wells Street: 9:50 a.m., 10:35 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 12:50 p.m., 1:35 p.m.

u Greenfield Gardens Rental Office: 9:55 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 12:55 p.m., 1:40 p.m.

u Elm Terrace Community Center: 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m.

u Leyden Woods: 10:10 a.m., 10:55 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 12:25 p.m., 1:10 p.m., 1:55 p.m.

u Greenfield High School: 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m.

A bus will return voters who arrive at 2 p.m. after they vote.

There is no fare for the service.

 

---