Forcier claims Board of Assessors seat in Conway

By CHRIS LARABEE

Staff Writer

Published: 06-09-2023 2:16 PM

CONWAY — Residents elected George Forcier to the Board of Assessors in the only contested race in this year’s town election, while three other seats remain vacant.

Forcier, a former and longtime editor at the Greenfield Recorder, defeated incumbent Roxanne Parent 207-62 to earn a three-year seat on the Board of Assessors. Voter turnout was 18.7%, with 271 of the town’s 1,451 registered voters casting their ballots.

In his campaign, Forcier ran on the idea of bringing his decades of journalism experience, and all the skills that come with that, to his work on the Board of Assessors.

“The skill set that makes a good reporter and a good news person, makes a good assessor,” said Forcier, 69, adding that close attention to detail, fair evaluations of a situation and accuracy are all required skills in journalism and assessing. Forcier also serves on the Planning Board.

With no candidates on the ballot, two Board of Health seats and one Planning Board seat remain vacant following the election. Town Clerk Laurie Lucier said the Selectboard has the authority to appoint people to those positions — on the recommendation of each board. Any appointed terms will be for one year.

Residents also voted “yes” on Question 1, a non-binding survey asking if people prefer Town Meetings to be held on Saturdays or on weeknights. On the heels of a marathon Town Meeting last weekend, residents narrowly supported keeping Town Meetings on Saturdays, 120-114.

The remaining election results are as follows:

■Selectboard, three-year term — Erica Goleman, 225 votes.

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■Conway School Committee, two seats with three-year terms — Philip Kantor and Michael Merritt, 201 and 216 votes.

■Moderator, one-year term — James “Jimmy” Recore, 213 votes.

■Planning Board, three-year term — Cheryl Case, 18 write-in votes.

■Tree warden, three-year term — Walter Goodridge, 230 votes.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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