BARRE — City residents voted in a rare contested mayoral vote Tuesday, electing Jake Hemmerick in a race between two candidates with experience on the city council.
After four years in his seat, incumbent Mayor Lucas Herring did not seek reelection. In just the third contested race in 16 years, Barre residents Hemmerick and Rich Morey stepped up to replace Herring, calling on their past elected positions to win voters.
Outside the Civic Center midday, a few flakes fluttered about and a trickle of voters arrived to cast ballots, though over 700 had requested the absentee option, according to City Clerk Carol Dawes. Both mayoral candidates had been greeting voters since the polls opened at 7 a.m. Both donned knit hats and gloves, trying to fight off the chill by shifting their weight from one foot to the other.
A few Dunkin cups lay strewn behind Morey, who sipped occasionally for warmth. He first joined the City Council in 2018 before stepping down last year anticipating a move out of Ward 3. “Surprisingly, there’s a lot of people coming in that don’t know much about us,” he said, looking to his left, where Hemmerick held a sign with his name on it.
He said the voters he’d spoken with were most concerned about spending, particularly school spending. He wanted them to know that they would always have his ear.
“I’m here. I talked to everybody. I have nothing to hide,” he said. “It’s all about what’s best for Barre. It’s not about the individual.”
Hemmerick, who is a first-term Ward 1 city councilor, likewise stressed his accessibility, calling his campaign strategy “from my front porch to their front porch.”
“I got out every weekend when I wasn’t working and knocked on doors. I didn’t get to every door of an active voter, but I got to about 700 doors over the campaign,” he said.
“You learn a lot about what people care about, and you learn that not everybody has the same priorities.”
From his outreach, Hemmerick had decided to focus on long-term capital planning and calming neighborhood traffic. A mismanaged road renovation outside his home first inspired Hemmerick to run for office, exactly the sort of project he heard about from voters.
With the current flood of federal funds, Hemmerick will lead central Vermont’s largest city through a rare moment of monetary surplus. Barre has $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan money to spend, a windfall that could shape the city’s future. Hemmerick has said he hopes to spend $1 million on housing, $1 million on infrastructure and the rest to support innovation.
