Constable top vote-getter in Newbury

By Victor Tine
Staff writer

May 15, 2008 03:36 am

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NEWBURY — Constable Douglas Packer was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's annual town election with 985, followed by Burial Ground Trustee Barbara Rogers with 956.

Tree Warden Peter Hollis placed third among voters, with 940 ballots cast for him, followed by Fish Commissioner Everett Davis at 918, Moderator Richard Joy at 911 and Board of Health member Steven Fram with 903.

All but two of the municipal government posts that were on the ballot Tuesday were uncontested. There were races only for a selectman's seat and a place as Newbury representative on the Triton Regional School Committee. Triton Vice Chairman Diane Sullivan recorded the highest Newbury vote total, 879, of any candidate with an opponent, easily topping William Levasseur's tally of 322. Sullivan also outpolled Levasseur in the other two Triton towns, Salisbury and Rowley, to win re-election.

Newly appointed Assessor Peter Murphy polled 872 votes to win his first three-year term. He was followed by Library Trustee Catherine Dullea's 841 votes.

Planning Board member David Powell received 810 votes, as did Assessor Sanford Wechsler, who was running for a two-year, unexpired term.

Joseph Story II won a second, three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, defeating Steven St. Arnault, 741-667.

There were two candidates on the ballot for two seats on the Library Board of Trustees, and Dullea's fellow incumbent, Ward Westhafer, collected 700 votes to win re-election.

Salisbury's Triton candidate, Holly Beth Janvrin, received 634 Newbury votes and Rowley's, Lane Bourn, received 623.

A total of 1,423 Newbury resident cast ballots Tuesday, 29.2 percent of the town's 4,870 registered voters.

Packer's constable term is four years, Powell's term on the Planning Board is for five years, and Hollis' tree warden post is on the ballot every year. All the other candidates' terms are three years.