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11/09/2021 03:55 PM“It was a good steady flow of voters all day with some busier spots,” said Essex Registrar of Voters Caitlin Riley as the polls closed for the municipal election at Essex Town Hall on Nov. 2.
Riley said that 1,664 ballots were cast and that with 5,353 registered voters, 10 of whom were added through Election Day Registration, voter turnout was 31.14 percent.
The expansion of absentee voting due to safety concerns related to COVID-19 did not drive-up voter turnout. There was a total of 123 absentee ballots cast this year while there were 115 in 2019, according to election officials.
Democrat Norman “Norm” Needleman, who was unopposed, again earned the seat of first selectman with 1,294 votes. This will be Needleman’s sixth term as first selectman of Essex.
Democrat Stacia Rice Libby was also re-elected to the Board of Selectmen with 982 votes, as was Republican Bruce Glowac with 654 votes.
Several uncontested races included Joel Marzi for town clerk, who earned 1,036 votes on the Democratic party line and 565 votes on the Republican party line; Democrat James D. Francis for town treasurer with 1,222 votes; and Megan Haskins for tax collector with 1,042 votes on the Democratic party line and 552 votes from the Republican party line.
For the Board of Finance, Democrat Brian Weinstein will be seated, having earned 1,015 votes, as will Republican Vincent A. Pacileo, III, having earned 767 votes.
For the Essex Board of Education, Democrat Lon Seidman earned 1,044 votes and will be seated for a six-year term while Republican Justin Pillion earned 575 votes and will also be seated for a six-year term.
Republican Keith Russell was re-elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals, earning 962 votes.
The Region 4 Board of Education will see the return of Democrat Jennifer Clark, who earned 1,007 votes for a six-year term. Clark’s opponent, Republican Ian Neviaser, will not be seated with 586 votes on the Republican party line and 34 votes on the Libertarian party line.
Seidman will also fill a four-year vacancy on the Region 4 Board of Education. He received a total of 1,537 votes for the seat, 1,029 votes on the Democratic party line and 508 votes on the Republican party line.
Voters in Essex also overwhelmingly supported the appropriation and financing of $952,053 for a school security project at John Winthrop Middle School, by a vote of 867 “Yes” and 331 “No.” Voters in Chester and Deep River also voted in favor of the project.