The votes are in: Middleboro incumbents unseated, new faces on Select Board and School Committee
Election signs for Middleboro candidates running in the Town Election stand outside of the Middleboro High School polling station on Saturday, April 4. Photos by Sam Tucker
A voter casts their ballot at a voting box at the high school.
Incumbent Select Board member Thomas White, left, stands with supporters outside of Middleboro High School. White was reelected after receiving the second-highest amount of votes.
Newcomer Select Board candidate Tracie Craig-McGee, second from right, poses with campaign supporters outside of the high school. Craig-McGee received the most amount of votes in the race for two seats on the Select Board.
Election signs for Middleboro candidates running in the Town Election stand outside of the Middleboro High School polling station on Saturday, April 4. Photos by Sam Tucker
A voter casts their ballot at a voting box at the high school.
Incumbent Select Board member Thomas White, left, stands with supporters outside of Middleboro High School. White was reelected after receiving the second-highest amount of votes.
Newcomer Select Board candidate Tracie Craig-McGee, second from right, poses with campaign supporters outside of the high school. Craig-McGee received the most amount of votes in the race for two seats on the Select Board.
MIDDLEBORO — The Town Election results are in and incumbents on the Select Board and School Committee both lost seats to newcomer candidates.
According to the unofficial results from the Town Clerk’s office, Select Board Chair Mark Germain lost his seat to newcomer candidate Tracie Craig-McGee and incumbent Thomas White was reelected.
On the School Committee, incumbents Jessica Chartoff and Allin Frawley did not get enough votes to keep their seats in the six-way race for the three, three-year termed seats. Newcomer candidates Leah Machado, Krysten Phillips, and Sean Mokeler received the most votes.
Select Board
After the results were released on Saturday night, Craig-McGee who received the most votes — with 1,561 — said she is happy to be able to use her 25 years of municipal experience as a Lakeville town employee in the community she calls home.
“I want to take a couple of meetings and really listen and get connected with the interim town manager and start digging into the budget issues,” she said.
“I need to sit back and listen for a little bit. But, with my experience I think I will be able to engage quicker than someone that's never done it before,” she added.
Germain has served two terms on the board, and has spent a majority of his tenure as chair.
“I'd like to thank everyone that came out and voted today, and congratulations to Thomas and Tracie. I wish the town well,” Germain said Saturday night.
White took home 1,259 votes and will be serving his second term on the board. White declined to comment.
School Committee
Machado, who received the most votes across the School Committee candidates with 1,213 votes, said she felt grateful and excited to work with everyone in town to build back trust between district parents and the committee.
“I'm just so excited to be a part of bringing this community back together. I can't wait to see where we go from here, and I'm just excited — we’ve got a lot of good things coming up,” she said.
Phillips, who took 1,148 votes, said she feels ready to get the ball rolling on improving communication between the school district and parents.
“I’m excited to make some really positive changes, and to get parents, students, teachers and everybody we can in the community to be involved and just really listen,” Phillips said.
Mokeler said he’s grateful for voters to support him to help tackle the pressing financial issues facing the district. Mokeler received 1,111 votes.
“I’m up for the challenge. I have the time and I'm going to work towards making things right, and hopefully we move [the district] in the right direction,” Mokeler said.
Frawley said he wishes “nothing but the best of luck” to the elected candidates.
“We need good people running the town these days,” Frawley said.
Chartoff said she was disappointed in the results but wished the elected candidates “all the best.”
“I hope that they can bring all their passion with them and do good for the schools,” she said.
Candidate Alex Cook said they look forward to next year’s elections, and hope elected candidates will “do what's best for all of our students.”
