MIDDLEBURY — Addison Central School District voters went to the polls on Tuesday to elect three new board members and return an incumbent to office.
In one of two contested ACSD board elections, incumbent board member (and former Chairman) Peter Conlon topped Chris Kramer, 1,425-1,090, for Cornwall’s lone (three-year) seat on the ACSD board, which oversees preK-12 education for children in Bridport, Cornwall, Middlebury, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham and Weybridge.
In the other contest, ASCD residents elected Lindsey Hescock and Mary Heather Noble in a three-way race for two, three-year terms representing Middlebury on the ACSD board. Hescock was the top vote getter with 1,774 tallies, followed by Noble with 1,331. Incumbent Davina Desmarais finished out of the running with 915 votes.
Barb Wilson (2,245 votes) was unopposed for a three-year term representing Shoreham on the ACSD board.
All members were voted at-large.
Cornwall’s race was the most hotly contested and saw Kramer raise $7,025 — including $6,600 of his own resources — during his campaign to unseat Conlon. Kramer has shown great interest in ACSD issues during the past few years, including the subjects of school consolidation and board transparency.
Conlon gave thanks to the voters in all seven district towns.
“I am really grateful for the support of folks in the district for my work on the board; it means a lot,” Conlon said. “The best news of the night, though, was the overwhelming vote of confidence in the district voters showed with the strong, strong approval of the ACSD budget. The administration and the board make careful, thoughtful decisions, and I think the voters see that.”
District voters OK’d the proposed ACSD budget of $40.3 million by a 2,082 to 668 margin. It will cover preK-12 education expenses for the 2021-2022 academic year.
“I look forward to supporting our educators as we continue to plan for full in-person learning and making up for lost learning time,” Conlon said.
Hescock campaigned on the promise of “respectfully adding an alternative voice” to board deliberations.
“I am thrilled that the voters have chosen me to represent the community on this board,” she said. “I want to represent all students in the district, and not just Middlebury students.
“I’m really looking forward to this challenge,” she added.
Noble was also gratified by the voters’ response to her candidacy.
“I’m feeling really heartened by the energy around yesterday’s election — it demonstrates how many people care about our students, our neighbors, and our places, and those values are sure to be the foundation of something great,” she said. “I am excited to join new and existing board members in the vital work of supporting our students with long-term solutions that honor these community values along with student success, equity, and financial responsibility.”
The three new board members replace Desmarais and retiring school directors Margaret “Peg” Martin and Jori Jacobeit.
Conlon has served on various ACSD school boards for the past decade, and he is a state legislator sitting on the Vermont House Education Committee.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].