23% turnout not lowest in recent years

The winners in the 2008 Town Election on April 5 were Diane Mahon and Annie LaCourt, incumbents for selectmen, as well as Joseph Curro, Joseph Curran and Leba Heigham for School Committee. The ballot question, reducing restaurant seating to allow alcohol, won by a large margin. The town clerk's office reported 6,732 voted out of 28,772 registered voters, or 23.4 percent.

April 5 election results including Town Meeting members (town Web site)

Selectmen incumbents Mahon and LaCourt beat back a challenge in the annual election from Tom Caccavaro. In the contested School Committee race, Curran, the incumbent, as well as first-time candidates Curro and Heigham topped challengers Joseph Tully and Judson Pierce.

According to unofficial numbers on the town's Web site, Mahon topped the selectmen's ticket with 4,580 votes and LaCourt followed with 3,452. Caccavaro, whose yard signs seemed to be everywhere around town, received 2,765 votes. Kenneth Marquis trailed with 539.

{mosimage} {mosimage}For School Committee, Curro was the top vote-getter, with 3,915. Curran received 3,202, and Heigham drew 3,002. Tully, who lost in his first bid for School Committee in 2003, came in fourth in the race for three seats, with 2,801 votes. Pierce, another first-time candidate, received 2,113 votes.

Richard Murray won in the race for the Arlington Housing Authority, with 3,361 votes, beating Patricia Worden, who received 2,198 votes. Murray, a former selectman, had no visible campaign and did not attend the March 27 Candidates' Night.

In uncontested contests, Stephen Gilligan was relected treasurer (4,719), Corinne Rainville was reelected town clerk (4,831) and Mary Winstanley O’Connor was elected assessor (4,307).

The ballot question -- “Shall the Board of Selectmen be granted the authority to reduce from 99 to 50 the minimum seating capacity for restaurants and function rooms for the sale therein of all alcohol beverages to be consumed on the premises?” -- won by an overwhelming majority, with 3,980 votes. Voting no were 1,294.

The turnout this year, 23 percent, was not the lowest in recent years. Here's a rundown of the previous three, according to the town clerk's office:

In the selectman's race, experience offset resentment. Mahon, known for her constituent service, and LaCourt, for her technology savvy, withstood a challenge from Caccavaro, who opposed the incumbents after both voted last June to remove him from the Park & Recreation Commission. He lost despite endorsements from Selectmen Kevin Greeley and Jack Hurd.

Mahon, who topped all candidates in votes received for selectmen and for her Town Meeting seat, came in first in 19 precincts and second in the other two. LaCourt took Precinct 8 by 19 votes. Caccavaro won Precinct 13, with 18 more than Mahon.

For School Committee, Curran ran no campaign beyond asking supporters to make contributions to an Arlington High School fund that would offset sports fees. Yet his name recognition led him second place in votes. Blunt in his criticism of Superintendent Nate Levenson, Curran is expected to be named chairman of the committee Tuesday, when it reorganizes.

{mosimage} The scene at the home of Sheri Baron, site of the Curro victory party, rang with cheers as the numbers were called in via cell phone and Brian Rehrig recorded them on his laptop.

In a lengthy thank-you speech to his supporters, Curro, known for his work with the Human Rights Commission, pointed to Rehrig, with whom he had once been at odds and was now a backer. Curro, who lives near the Symmes Hospital, had represented the interests of Symmes' neighbors, while Rehrig had been a major player on the town side of the project.

Curro ran his School Committee campaign on a theme of trying to heal the division that has split the board for a year.

Among those Curro thanked were Ron Spangler and his wife, who had urged Curro to run.

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Postelection statements

All candidates in key races for the Town Election have been asked comment. If there is no statement below, then a candidate has not submitted one:

Annie LaCourt

I am writing to thank the voters of Arlington for their continued faith and confidence in me.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity to continue serve the town and I will strive over the next three years to live up to the voters’ high expectations.

One of the joys of campaigning is getting to know your fellow candidates through the many events we all attend. Everyone who ran did so because they have a passion for Arlington and a desire to be of service.

I am also very thankful for the many hours of hard work that all of my supporters put in to the campaign.  Their efforts that made it possible for me to get my message out to the voters and gain their support.  My core campaign team amazed me with their endless energy.  Advice is a key ingredient in any campaign and I was fortunate to have such a great team whose wisdom I could draw upon.

I am blessed with an incredible family.  I could not do what I do every day without the support of my husband, Mark Burstein.  And I owe a special debt of recognition to my daughters (Jenny and Ellie) and their friends for their enthusiastic support.

During my second term I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that our budgets reflect our priorities and our common values, our decisions are transparent and the town government is accessible and responsive to the needs of all those who call Arlington home.

Joseph Tully

The voters made their choice.  I respect their choice.

Diane Mahon

I would like to thank all the voters of Arlington for re-electing me the Arlington Board of Selectmen.  I also want to extend a very special thank you to all those people who donated time and money to my campaign.  I may be the one serving on the Board, but getting re-elected truly is a team effort, and I am blessed with the best team.

As I said throughout the campaign I am optimistic about our future.  However, I am very aware of the many challenges we face together as a town.  The key now, as it has always been, is to work to meet those challenges together.

For nine years as a member of the Board of Selectmen, I have worked to make town government responsive to the people of Arlington.  I have worked to ensure that people feel comfortable not only reaching out to me, but that they are also comfortable whenever they come before the Board.  As a member of the Board of Selectmen, I am here to serve you, and that is a tremendous honor.

Once again, thank you for your support and for your votes.  I will continue do everything I can to ensure Arlington remains the wonderful place to live.

Patricia Worden

I am very indebted to all those who voted for me in my unsuccessful effort to return to the Housing Authority to properly carry forward initiatives that I worked on there.

The Housing Authority has an important role to play in safeguarding and expanding the Town’s subsidized housing residences and adding to them by purchasing existing condominiums and residences for subsequent affordable rentals.  This role will become even more important if and when the Affordable Housing Task Force (AHTF), on which I currently serve, ceases to exist.

The AHTF was created by a vote of Town Meeting in 1999 by which it is “charged with the responsibility of studying the issue of affordable housing and is to report to the Annual Town Meeting in 2000 on its findings and recommendations.”  The AHTF has no power other than advisory and already completed its charge eight years ago rendering it now vestigial.  It should be replaced by a more effectual now legislature-empowered Affordable Housing Trust Fund which can be created only by a vote of the Annual Town Meeting (under Article 19).  The Town’s invaluable low and moderate income public housing held in perpetuity for needy Arlingtonians together with funds to be acquired for affordable housing should not be subject to competitive conflicts of interest by any non-profit group or developer.

I am deeply grateful to all those who took the trouble to vote for me and want them to know the importance of their continued interest and vigilance concerning the work of the Housing Authority and our public affordable housing.

Judson Pierce

I write to give you my heartfelt thanks for considering my candidacy for School Committee. I was not successful but I feel encouraged that our schools will be well served with those who were elected on Saturday, April 5th.

My wife, Laura, and my family are the most important people in my life. I am grateful to them for their love and support. When I entered this race I dedicated myself to making a difference not only for my kids but for all of our children. I have learned so much during this relatively short campaign by talking to so many of you. I will continue to stay involved with public education issues and look forward to working with Stand For Children when I lead a team of concerned men and women to lobby our legislators on Beacon Hill on April 15th. I invite all of you to join with me in this important cause.

There could have been no better learning experience than running for School Committee. I was honored that so many of you thought so much to vote for me. I truly feel that it was better to have run and lost than to never have run at all.

I hope to serve this great Town in the future as I believe that I have a duty to give back to a place that has given me and my family so much.

Thank you and God Bless.

Leba Heigham

Dear Arlington Residents,

I would like to thank the Arlington voters for electing me to the School Committee.  I am extremely grateful to my friends, old and new, who gave up their free time to help with planning, host coffees, introduce me to their neighbors, hold signs in all kinds of weather, and in so many other ways.  It was a distinct pleasure to campaign with four such unique individuals.  I look forward to working with Joe Curran and Joe Curro and wish Jud Pierce and Joe Tully well.  I want to thank my family who has been wonderfully supportive.

I started my campaign with the statement “Our community’s future rests on how well we educate our children.”  I believe that in electing me to the School Committee, our community has renewed its commitment.  I look forward to working with the other six members of the committee toward creating a respectful culture that is focused on continuously improving the education of all Arlington’s children.

Joseph A. Curro Jr.

I would like to thank the voters of Arlington for affording me the opportunity to serve you, and I sincerely hope that I can live up to your expectations.

We were successful in pulling together a very broad and deep coalition that reached every corner of Arlington.  Over three hundred people materially supported our campaign with their time, talent, treasure, and public expressions of support.  Our message of reconciliation, renewal, and respect resonated with people young and old, and we must now capture that spirit and deliver on its promise.

I have come to know both Joe Curran and Leba Heigham on the campaign trail.  Joe's lifelong history as an involved resident of this town and Leba's extraordinary knowledge of issues in public education are assets that I will value when face with tough decisions.  I congratulate Joe and Leba, and I look forward to working with them and the other four members of the School Committee on behalf of our kids and in furtherance of the public interest.

I also extend my best wishes to Judson Pierce and Joe Tully, both of whom ran vigorous campaigns.  You would be hard pressed to meet a nicer guy than Jud, and I truly hope that he will continue to pursue public service opportunities in Arlington.  And I anxiously await the chance to resume my working relationship with Joe when Town Meeting reconvenes later this month.

We need to work for our children's success.  In order to do that, we as elected leaders must commit to a culture of success and we need to work with our administrators to foster a supportive environment for our teachers and other staff.  We must acknowledge the difficult challenges that have built up over the past few years and focus our collective energy on solving problems -- both known and unexpected -- that might loom ahead.

Over the past few months, I have received many interesting suggestions from the residents I have met, and I am excited to have the chance to experiment with some of these ideas.

I love Arlington, and I want to help us to be our best.