Lincoln candidates mostly unopposed

LINCOLN — In the only contested race on the Town Meeting Day ballot in Lincoln, Matthew Collins is challenging incumbent Mark Truax for second constable.
All Lincoln selectboard members are running unopposed. But there are a series of “musical chairs”-like shifts, resulting from the vote at last year’s town meeting to lengthen two of the selectboard seats from one-year to two-year terms.
Selectman James Needham, elected to a one-year seat on a write-in campaign in 2015, is now running for that same seat, which is now a two-year seat. Incumbent Will Sipsey, who has served consecutive one-year terms since 2014, is now running for a three-year seat. Incumbent Oakley Smith, finishing up a three-year term, according to Town Clerk Sally Ober, is now running for a one-year term. Smith’s seat will become a two-year seat in 2017, in compliance with last year’s vote.
For school directors at Lincoln Community School, board Chair Rebecca Otey is on the ballot for a three-year seat. Vice Chair Mary Beth Stilwell will run for a two-year seat.
Ober wanted to draw voters’ attention to one additional item on the March 1 ballot: “Shall the Town of Lincoln vote to eliminate the office of town auditor?” The town clerk said that for a number of years the town has employed a professional auditor to go over its books, rather than an elected town auditor. The person in the elected role of town auditor now chiefly attends to the responsibility of putting the town report together. She said that a “Yes” vote on the ballot would mean that the town would continue to employ a professional auditor for its books and that putting the town report together would be the responsibility of a town report committee.
Lincoln will hold its town meeting on Monday, Feb. 29, at Burnham Hall, starting at 6 p.m. Voting by Australian ballot will take place Tuesday, March 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., also at Burnham Hall.
Reporter Gaen Murphree is at [email protected].

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