The preliminary tallies are in.
Of the 23,586 voters in town, 3,883, or 16 percent, voted in this year’s town election. That’s down a significant amount from last year when 27 percent of voters cast ballots in the local election. In 2024, 35 percent voted (though that was also a presidential election year); and nine percent in 2023.
Only one race was contested this year — three candidates, Lin Jensen, Kunal Botla, and incumbent Bob Creech ran for two seats on the Planning Board. Jensen, who secured 2,587 votes, and Creech, who secured 2,415 votes, came out on top.
“Whether you voted for me or not, know me or not, you can trust that I will work hard for you and our town,” Jensen said to a crowd of town leaders and voters at an election party Monday night.
“We will work hard over the next three years,” Creech said at the event.
Botla secured 1,702 votes. When it came time for him to approach the microphone, the crowd erupted in supportive applause and cheers. “Thank you all for showing up,” Botla said after thanking his campaign team.
The candidates running for Select Board and School Committee were not opposed. That means candidates Doug Lucente and Mark Sandeen were voted back onto the Select Board, both for their fourth terms.
Candidate Mona Roy was elected to the School Committee for her first term. She told the Observer and the crowd at the party she looks forward to listening and learning from her future colleagues on the Committee.
“As I step into this role, I do so with humility and responsibility,” she told the crowd.
Here is who won seats on Town Meeting:
John Bartenstein
Jay Luker
Noah Samuelson Michelson
Margaret Muckenhoupt
John Francis Rossi
Bella D. Tsvetkova
Albert Paul Zabin
Kyle Robert York
Matthew Carter
Avram Smith Baskin
Sarah Sarver Daggett
Carolyn M. Goldstein
Jeffrey Clarke Howry
Mark Allan Manassas
Jonathan Edward Suber
Laura Wilson Swain
Cynthia E. Arens
Norman Paul Cohen
Steven Philip Heinrich
Ipek Ozer-Stillman
Hua Wang
David Andrew Simons
Richard Samuel Treitman
Alessandro Alessandrini
Michael P. Boudett
Kathryn Rivard Colburn
Katie Ponty Cutler
Heather Lynn Hartshorn
Nancy Ann Shepard
Ruth S. Thomas
Judith Ann Crocker
Anthony Grant Galaitsis
Steven B. Kaufman
Pamela B. Lyons
Lin Xu
Lily Yan
Catherine Yan
Thomas C. Barry
Jonathan Andrew Himmel
Morton Gerald Kahan
Innessa Anne Manning
Bridger E. McGaw
Ryan Wise
Priya Narasimhan Patel
Harry Clarke Forsdick
Pam Hoffman
Vida Baterina Hom
Samita A. Mandelia
Raul Marques-Pascual
Tina M. McBride
Linda C. Prosnitz
Priya N. Tanjore
Robert M. Avallone
Lauren Deems Black III
Shailesh Chandra
Thomas R. Diaz
Andrei Radulescu Banu
Victoria C. Buckley
Nicola Jane Sykes
Shireen Ahmed
Mark Valerian Andersen
Hema P. Bhatt
Todd O. Burger
Jeanne Patricia Canale
Suzanne D. Lau
Lisah Susan Schmidt Rhodes
Frederick L. Merrill
David John Buczkowski
Next up on the local politics docket is Town Meeting, which is slated to begin on the evening of March 30.