The Town of Natick has released *unofficial results for Tuesday’s election, which saw Kristen Pope and Rich Sidney winning 2 open Select Board seats, while Matt Brand and Kate Flathers secured the 2 available School Committee seats.
Like a year ago, just 14% of registered voters cast ballots.
Pope earned 44% of the votes in the Select Board contest, followed by Sidney’s 31%. Kat Monahan (16%) and Roger Scott (9%) were runners-up.
Sidney retains his seat, for which he ran unopposed over the summer after a Select Board member resigned. This time around he had solid competition as he emphasized issues such as affordability, effective service delivery, fiscal sustainability, economic development, and transparency during his campaign.
Pope said during her campaign that, if elected, she would look to help the town increase representation in government and make it more accessible to more people. Improved communication, affordable housing, and smart growth are also priorities for Pope, a communications professional. Supporters are celebrating her victory as the first by a Black woman on the Select Board.
In the School Committee race, Matt Brand edged Kate Flathers by a few dozen votes, but both got plenty enough to win seats. For Brand, this marks his return to the Committee—he served a 3-year term starting in 2018.
Flathers finished out of the running during last year’s School Committee race, but made a strong comeback in this election. Incumbent Dr. Donna McKenzie and Leigh Hallisey were runners-up.
Brand and Flathers, along with the rest of the School Committee, have some big decisions ahead, as Natick seeks its next superintendent of schools.
In the other contested town-wide race, for Morse Institute Library Board of Trustees, Carol Gloff, Kathleen Donovan, Sally McCoubrey, Gerald Mazor, and Anna McMahan won seats based on the unofficial tally.
On the 1 question on the ballot, regarding an amendment of the Natick Home Rule Charter to change the Natick Town Clerk position from elected to appointed, just over two-thirds of voters chose “Yes.” The way to this ballot question was paved at the last Fall Annual Town Meeting.
For the rest of the results, including for Town Meeting seats, see the embedded document below.
*Per Town Clerk Diane Packer: Unofficial results do not include write-ins and any hand-counted ballots. It will not change the overall results except for some Town Meeting positions and offices where there weren’t any candidates.
[gview file=”https://www.natickreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Unofficial-results-3-28-23-v-2.pdf”]
I read the news today
My eyes deceived me not
For in so few a number
The tale did tell a lot
I looked again in wonder
Still read 14 percent
it’s hard to fathom how we got
To this place of discontent
Excuses ring so many
In the end it matters not
For those who failed to vote
Deserve the things they haven’t got