CORNWALL — Cornwall residents passed all the money items on their ballot, but defeated two advisory referenda related to how Addison Central School District directors should be elected and the process for closing ACSD schools.
Cornwall was one of four Addison Central School District communities that permitted a public vote on two petitioned items that the ACSD board had declined to place on the district ballot. The first article, which recommended that each ACSD board member be elected only by the voters of his or her hometown, was defeated by voice vote on Monday. Candidates are currently elected at-large in the seven-town district. The second item, which suggested that no ACSD school be closed unless such a move is endorsed by a majority of voters in the town in which the school is located, lost by a 44-46 paper ballot tally, according to Town Clerk Sue Johnson. An ACSD school can currently be closed by a super-majority vote of the ACSD board.
Residents approved, by resounding voice votes, a 2020-2021 general fund budget of $499,849, and a highway budget request of $448,790.
Other articles earning Cornwall residents’ support included:
•  $69,750 to help fund the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department.
•  $4,000 to help pay expenses for the Cornwall Free Public Library.
•  A combined total of $32,070 to support multiple Addison County nonprofits that serve Cornwall residents.
•  Formation of a local Conservation Fund Planning Group to “study how towns in Vermont fund their conservation activities.”
Local residents helped decide two contested elections for the ACSD board. One of them involved Ellie Bishop challenging Jennifer Nuceder for a three-year term representing Salisbury on the 13-member panel. The other featured Christin Gardner and incumbents Mary Gill and Victoria Jette vying for two available slots representing Middlebury. In district-wide voting, Nuceder topped Bishop, 1,920 to 1,289, while Gill and Jette earned 2,323 and 2,278 tallies, respectively, in their successful re-election bids. Gardner finished out of the running with 1,446 votes.
There were no contested local elections on the ballot this year. Candidates elected unopposed in this year’s local elections included Cy Day Tall, moderator, one year; Brian Kemp, selectboard, three years; Benjamin Marks, selectboard, two years; and Judith English, Juliet Gerlin and Susan Johnson, each for three years as Cornwall Library trustees.
Cornwall voters on March 3 joined Bridport, Middlebury, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham and Weybridge folks in approving an ACSD K-12 education budget proposal of $39,507,837 for the 2020-2021 academic year (see related story). Cornwall residents also cast votes on the proposed 2020-2021 2021 Patricia Hannaford Career Center budget of $3,854,752.
In the Democratic presidential primary, Bernie Sanders topped the field with 188 votes, while Joe Biden finished second with 123 tallies. Those also receiving votes included Elizabeth Warren (107), Michael Bloomberg (38) and Pete Buttigieg (6).
In the Republican primary, President Donald Trump led the field with 15 tallies, while Bill Weld finished second with 3.