by CHRIS LINDAHL
@cmlindahl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
SOUTHAMPTON — Voters shook up local government yesterday, selecting four new members to its two most powerful boards at the annual town election.
Newcomers elected to the Select Board are Charles J. Kaniecki and Shannon Cutler, both of whom defeated longtime incumbent member David McDougall in a three-way race for two seats. Kaniecki received 305 votes, Cutler 302 votes and McDougall 256 votes.
Hampshire Regional School Committee will also get two fresh faces in Margaret Larson and Tammy Walunas, who beat incumbent Joseph Moynahan in another three-way race for two seats. Larson received 311 votes, Walunas 296 votes and Moynahan 279 votes.
In the only other contested race, Jeffrey M. Dugas beat Charles D. Kaniecki for a three-year seat on the Board of Health. Dugas received 301 votes while Charles D. Kaniecki received 175 votes.
Just under 12 percent of the town’s 4,339 registered voters came out to the polls, with 512 ballots cast. All of the elected positions are for three-year terms.
After being sworn in by Town Clerk Janine Domina at Town Hall Monday night, Charles J. Kaniecki, one of the Select Board winners and the father of Charles D. Kaniecki, said he feels gratified by the win.
“I’m looking forward to bringing the community together as a whole,” he said.
Charles J. Kaniecki, 62, is no stranger to government. He is the western Massachusetts district health officer for the state Department of Public Health, is the chairman of the Public Safety Complex Committee and has served in a number of other town positions throughout his life.
He said his work on the Public Safety Complex Committee might have contributed to the win. “I think (voters) all realized I have the town’s well-being at heart,” he said.
Cutler is also a familiar face in Town Hall. She works as the administrative assistant for the Board of Assessors. She was not at Town Hall when the polls closed Monday.
Reached at home, Larson, 51, said she’s “thrilled” at the opportunity to get more involved in the school system. She said she’s eyeing the chance to work in the budget process.
With a goal of making that often complicated process more transparent, Larson said she hopes to “bridge the divide” between Southampton residents with school-aged children and those who don’t have children.
“I have an understanding of the need to reach out to those different constituencies and get them involved to an extent that’s reasonable and possible,” she said.
Walunas, 47, said she’s looking forward to attending both School Committee and Select Board meetings, something she’s already made a habit of doing.
“I’m very happy that I’ll actually be able to sit at the table now and voice my opinions,” she said.
One of the first things on her agenda is helping the high school raise money for events like its senior class breakfast.
“With my previous history of being part of the PTO at Norris School, I have a lot of connections with different businesses in Southampton,” she said.
Joanne Alderman won a seat on the Personnel Policy Procedure Board through a sticker campaign, getting 78 votes.
All other races were unopposed: cemetery commissioner, town moderator, constable, water commissioner, Edwards Public Library trustees, Finance Committee, Housing Authority, Planning Board, park commissioner, William E. Norris School Committee and tree warden.
Domina is still taking final counts on those races.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at [email protected].
