Again, voters in Temple have said “no” to doing away with a Town Meeting format in favor of ballot voting.
This year, as for the past decade and more, the town had a petition warrant on the ballot to implement ballot voting. But the measure needs a 3/5 majority to pass, and it failed to gain even a simple majority, with 224 voting no to 219 yeses.
John Kieley was out in the snow in Temple on Tuesday, campaigning for election to the Planning Board. The former selectman said he was in favor of keeping Town Meeting as it is.
“One of the most important fabrics of Temple is our Town Meeting. For the fourteenth year, there’s a threat we’re going to lose something important to Temple,” said Kieley, referencing the ballot question.
Kieley fell just short of the Planning Board seat, though he was in close running with Randall Martin and incumbent Bruce Kullgren Jr., who won the two seats on the Board. Kieley won 212 votes to Kullgren’s 264 and Martin’s 251.
The race for the Select Board was also narrow, with incumbent Ken Caisse winning a second term 231-200 over challenger Bev Edwards.
“I thank everybody for coming out to the polls,” said Caisse on Wednesday. “ I’m proud I got re-elected and I’ll work my hardest for the town.”
Temple supported all school articles but one: Article 10, a petition article which would have allowed the district to consider closure of elementary schools whose populations dipped below 50 students two years in a row. The article found little traction in the town of Temple, with only 69 voters in favor, and 367 against.
ConVal students and parents campaigned in the snow outside the Temple Town Hall, encouraging voters to say “no” on Article 10.
“As a parent, I want to keep my kids in a small school,” said Christine Mackensen of Temple, who was campaigning with her two children in front of the voting venue. “That’s why we moved here from Nashua.”
Temple’s Town Meeting will be held at the Temple Elementary School at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. For a full list of warrant articles to be discussed, visit the Temple town website.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.