Voters in Rindge said no to a 10th full-time police officer position in the only monetary article not to pass at Tuesday’s polls.
Of the 14 warrant articles on Rindge’s ballot, voters turned down five, with all of the failed articles submitted by petition. Article 10, which requested $57,736, to cover a partial year’s salary for a new position in the police department, was submitted by petition, supported by the town’s Budget Committee and Police Chief Rachel Malynowski, but opposed by the Select Board in a 2-1 vote.
While the town supported an article for a ninth police position last year, voters this year said no by a count of 661-360 to adding another new position.
Nancy Bonell of Rindge, who was campaigning outside the polls in Rindge Tuesday, said she had voted in favor of a new officer after hearing Malynowski speak about the staffing issues at the department in front of the Rindge Woman’s Club.
“We need to support our police,” Bonell said. “We need to pay living wages, if we want employees to work in our town.”
The other failed articles included a request to make the income limits for residents to qualify for the town’s elderly and disabled tax credit more strict. The same article was presented last year, but was effectively neutered when an amendment at the deliberative session turned the article into a request for a committee to study the issue this past year. That committee was formed and has been meeting on the issue, and at the 2022 deliberative session, Chair Dan Whitney requested another year to continue to investigate.
While the article moved forward to the ballot, the residents ultimately turned it down with 395 yes votes to 601 no votes, allowing the committee that extra time to continue their work this year.
David Belliveau of Rindge campaigned for several candidates and issues outside of the polls, and said the tax exemption was one issue that brought him out on Tuesday.
“I have a father who is disabled and on a fixed income,” Belliveau said. “For him to have to start footing a bill he’s not budgeted for, isn’t right to me. Especially today, when dollars are having to be stretched, it’s horrible to do that to our elderly and disabled.”
Two articles that would have created new town committees – with an aim at creating new town policies – were also turned down at the polls.
The first would have created a conflict of interest committee, which would have created a conflict of interest ordinance for the town. The article was put forth by petition, drafted by a group that has challenged specifically the role of the part-time Planning Director Kirk Stenersen.
Stenersen works for the town one day a week, and the rest of the time as an engineer, and has, in the past, recused himself from his planning director position to present projects on behalf of his clients to the planning and zoning boards.
The article, as originally submitted, would have adopted a specific conflict of interest ordinance, but an amendment reduced that to the creation of a committee to study the issue. Voters rejected the committee in a 520-479 vote.
Voters also said no to a petition article requesting the formation of a solar energy committee. Another article modified at deliberative session, the article originally directed the committee to produce an amendment to the zoning ordinance to be put on the ballot next year for vote, but amendments removed those requirements, leaving just the formation of the committee to study the issue of solar energy. Voters rejected the committee in a 584-424 vote.
Also turned down was a petition article that allowed the town to spend funds to defend the decisions of the town’s land use boards in court.
The only petition article on the ballot to pass was Article 14, the opposition of the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores in town, in protest of “puppy mills.” The vote was narrow, with a 503-494 outcome, but was approved. The record of the vote will be sent to the state legislators and governor informing them of the town’s stance on the issue.
All other articles, including the town’s $4.7 million operating budget, passed by healthy margins.
Town offices
Karl Pruter held his seat as selectman, fending off challenger and former fellow Select Board member Roberta Oeser, as well as write-in candidate Ben Asaff.
Pruter led the race with 514 votes, with Oeser garnering 361 and Asaff 144 write-ins.
Belliveau said Pruter had his vote, after listening to him at the town’s recent Candidates’ Night.
“I liked a lot of the things he said,” Belliveau said. “I had a solid feeling he was the best person for the position.”
Nancy Bonell said Pruter was “the best choice” for Rindge.
Oeser was on the board with Pruter last year, and ran for re-election, but lost to current board member Mary Beth Quill.
In the other contested race on this year’s ballot, Marty Kulla reclaimed his seat on the Zoning Board from DeniDickler, who unseated him last year. Kulla won back the seat in a 510-432 vote.
All other seats were uncontested, and candidates voted in without any opposition from write-in candidates.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.