2,311 Middleboro residents spoke and spoke loudly: It’s time for change.
Starting Monday, April 4, 2011 Middleboro’s Board of Selectmen is going to look very different. The incumbents – Muriel Duphily and Marsha Brunelle – lost their seats on the Board by a shockingly large margin. The vote tally is as follows:
| Candidate | Number of Votes |
| Allin Frawley | 1,773 |
| Ben Quelle | 1,450 |
| MiMi Duphily | 529 |
| Marsha Brunelle | 510 |
The School Committee will also see two new faces at their April 14, 2011 meeting as Richard C. Gillis and Brian P. Giovanoni will assume the seats of Paul C. Hilton and Joseph A. Masi Jr. who did not seek re-election.
Allin and Ben will be welcome new additions to the Board of Selectmen and I have high hopes for a new era of transparency mixed with intelligent, coherent discussions and actions about the issues facing our town and how to move forward into the next generation of local government. I don’t think that either of our newly minted Selectmen will forget about the people in the cheap seats and will work with the sitting members of the board to do what is best for Middleboro.
The one disappointing thing about this race, however, is the voter turnout. This is a constant disappointment for me. Only 15% of the registered voters in Middleboro could find the time in a 12 hour span to vote. That’s disgusting. I know that percentage is better than other years – and the voters who took the time to participate in the democratic process definitely made the right decision – but it’s still awful.
I can understand – sort of – the lack of voting at the state and federal levels. People feel that in such a large pool of votes, theirs doesn’t count for much and they can’t be bothered going to the polls. But in a small town like Middleboro, in an election that so clearly will impact the day-to-day lives of you and your children, how can you not be bothered to be informed and then make an intelligence choice?
I am thrilled with Allin and Ben getting on the Board of Selectmen but still disappointed that my fellow residents can’t be bothered to take 5 minutes out of their Saturday to help decide the future of our town.
My motto still stands: If you didn’t vote, you have no right to complain…
I love this e-newspaper.
Please note that if it were not for Allin and Ben sending out postcards as reminders a week or two in advance the turnout may have been worse. Second, the local Newspaper “The Middleboro Gazette” supplement that arrives on Wednesday or Thursday made no mention of the elections. In the brief 10 years I have lived in this town I find that the Town Elections are the “best kept secret”. I know if I hadn’t been out and about to notice the signs at the 105-18 intersection. I would never remembered about the elections.
I am a transplant from New York State and our town elections coincide with the Federal and State elections. I believe in this day and age people with children are busy running with them and honestly forget about voting on a Saturday. If we had the election during the week the turn out would be better. If we could possibly have them on the the first Tuesday after November 1st when the State and Federal Elections are we would save money and people would remember to vote.