Bennington voters elected Jim Carroll, Gary Corey and Tom Haley to join the seven-member selectboard in Bennington.
Carroll, the only incumbent in the race, is also a state representative for Bennington. He took 947 votes, the most of any candidate for the three-year term.
“I was really worried,” he said. “It was a wide-open field … and you just never know.”
Carroll said he’ll prioritize economic recovery in the town as residents navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
Haley, formerly the chair of the Democratic Party in Bennington, was the top vote-getter for the one-year seat with 970 votes. Haley has said he plans to prioritize police reform, health care and improve the board’s communications with citizens.
Corey, with 672 votes, narrowly beat out Tina Cook, who received 641. Corey, a local architect, grew up in Bennington.
Cook would have been the first Black person to serve on Bennington’s selectboard.
Ten candidates vied for the three seats, marking a crowded race that mirrored other Covid-19 era ballots. Candidates didn’t need to petition to obtain a spot on the ballot, which eliminated the need for door-to-door signature collection.
“The common denominator among all of my fellow candidates is we want what’s best for the town,” Carroll said. “We may not agree on how to get there, but I admire anybody that sticks their neck out.”
The new members of the selectboard largely hold similar positions on many issues within the town, like police reform, management of the opioid crisis, and the town’s implementation of the state’s Covid-19 guidelines.
Other candidates included Chris Bates, Mike Bethel, Phillip Guerard, Colleen Harrington, Kevin Hoyt and Nancy White.
Voters also rejected a proposal to switch to a mayoral form of government. This year marks the fifth time voters have considered the question, rejecting it each time.
White and Bethel sponsored the question on the ballot, which would have caused a change in the town’s charter that allows the new format. They were the only candidates who supported changing the charter.
Under the current structure, Town Manager Stuart Hurd carries out the town’s business and reports to the selectboard. A mayoral system would eliminate the town manager position, and the mayor would assume some of those responsibilities, working with the selectboard in an elected position. The question on the March 2 ballot would have only changed the charter; voters would have needed to decide how to install a mayor at subsequent town meetings.
