By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
The Town Council will have some new faces when it reorganizes this summer.
Andrea Slobogan, Patrick Reynolds, and Mark Gould, Jr., were among the top vote-getters for the council seats on the ballot for the Town Election. Twelve candidates ran for the positions—seven of whom were incumbents. The election was held on April 6 with all voting done at North Attleborough High School. Mail-in voting was available, though only a few dozen residents utilized this method.
Slobogan is very active in North Attleborough, having served on the North Attleborough Cultural Council, Revitalization Board, Farmers Market Committee, and coordinates events in support of the downtown business district. Gould is an RTM member and has served in different capacities at UMass Law School and Bridgewater State College. Reynolds is former member of the Board of Selectmen.
The candidates for Town Council were ranked based on the votes they received, with the top nine earning seats. Justin Pare, John Simmons, Jo Ann Cathcart, Darius Gregory, Kathleen Prescott, and Andrew Shanahan also won seats on the council. Candidates Dan Donovan, John Donohue, and Julie Boyce—who currently serves on the council—were not among the top nine.
Council members Keith Lapointe and Michael Lennox had announced earlier that they would not seek re-election.
According to the Town Charter, council seats begin on July 1 and run through June 30.
In a post to her campaign’s Facebook page, Prescott thanked all those who voted.
Pare received the most votes at 1,068, and so will become the new council president once his second term begins. Simmons was next at 1,013 and will be council vice-president.
The other contested race was for Electric Commission, with two seats on the ballot. John Casey—currently a member of the commission—and Craig Cameron earned 1,050 and 614 votes, respectively. Fellow candidate William Carlson received 589. Candidates for the Board of Public Works, Park Commission, and School Committee ran unopposed for their seats.
One of the more notable aspects to this election was the turnout. Of the 21,493 registered voters, only 1,583 made it to the polls. That amounts to 7.37 percent. Those that voted spoke of the impact that casting a ballot can have, that local elections have the greatest effect on the town.
Wendy McHugh has been a regular at the polls for the last 25 years. She said that the impact of the votes on the community is a direct one.
“The schools, public works—their decisions all affect us,” said McHugh.
Iyabode Akinboboye said this year was her first voting in the Town Election. She said that over the last few years she has been learning much about the local and national elections and with children in the town’s schools, wanted to be involved.
“I see the impacts,” said Akinboboye. “I just want to participate.”
