School budget issues pass; two write-ins take school posts; incumbents re-elected in Chester

By Cynthia Prairie

Voters in Chester match the paper ballots with the boxes as Ken Barrett helps with the electronic vote tally machine.

With 402 Chester residents voting on Tuesday, all the school budget items passed and every incumbent seeking re-election was returned to office.

• The River Valley Technical Center budget issue was approved 307 yes to 92 no.

• With votes of both Chester and Andover co-mingled, the Chester-Andover Elementary School budget passed 307 to 152 and the special capital ballot issue for $25,000 passed 335 to 136

• Voters from Chester, Cavendish and Andover voted on the Green Mountain Union High School budget, which passed 422 to 294, with the $40,000 special ballot passing 471 to 241.

In the Select Board non-races, John DeBenedetti was re-elected to a three-year term with 316 votes while Dick Jewett received seven unsolicited write-in votes for the same post.
Holding one-year terms and also running unopposed were Tom Bock, who received 303 votes, and Arne Jonynas, who received 321 votes.

Incumbent Deborah Aldrich was the biggest vote-getter of the day, garnering 378 votes for three-year terms as Town Clerk and 375 as Town Treasurer.
Chester’s long time town moderator William Dakin was re-elected with 356 votes. He was also re-elected as Chester town school district moderator with one less vote – 355. Both terms are for one year.
Deborah Trent received 299 votes to fill an unexpired two-year term as Lister. No one ran to fill an empty three-year term.

John DeBenedetti again sought a one-year term as Town Grand Juror, for which he garnered 306 votes.  Jo-Anne DeBenedetti received 301 votes to be re-elected to a one-year term as Agent to Defend Suits.

Jack Cable will be filling a three-year term as an auditor after winning 320 votes.
Sandra Walker earned 367 votes in her successful bid for a three-year term as Trustee of Public Funds.
And Mary Lou Farr received 324 votes and Kathy Pellett received 328 to continue serving on the Whiting Library’s Board of Trustees, each for three-year terms.
No one ran for four three-year seats on the Budget Committee.

School positions

Michael Leonard was elected to a three-year term as a director of the Green Mountain Union High School board with 318 votes. And Doug Caum mounted a successful write-in campaign to fill an unexpired one-year term on that board with 48 votes. (Twenty-five votes were needed to win on a write-in.)
Tonia Fleming also received 318 votes to be re-elected to a three-year term on the Chester-Andover Elementary School union board. Michael Leonard also mounted a successful write-in campaign to fill a three-year term as a director on the Chester Town School Board, garnering 34 votes, nine over the minimum needed.