Updated 12:20 pm, Friday
Oak Bluffs voters decided a five-way race for two seats on the five-member board of selectmen on Thursday when they re-elected Greg Coogan (531 votes) and re-elected Kathy Burton (509 votes). Planning board chairman Brian Packish failed to unseat Ms. Burton by the slimmest of margins with 501 votes. First time candidate Raymond Taylor received 301 votes. Abraham Seiman received 98 votes. This was the second unsuccessful bid for Mr. Seiman.
This will be Mr. Coogan’s fifth term on the board of selectmen, which he currently chairs. The former Tisbury School math teacher is retired following a more than 30-year career in education.
“It’s amazing how many people turned out, especially considering there wasn’t a money issue on the ballot” Mr. Coogan told The Times Friday morning. “I’m excited to be back for a fifth term. There’re things I want to keep working on, affordable housing, the beaches, the bike paths to name a few.”
Mr. Coogan said the extremely close vote is a tribute to the hard work of the other candidates, particularly Mr. Packish, and that it was also a message to the incumbents that the board can do a better job of community outreach.
Ms. Burton won re-election to her third term. She told The Times that she was grateful to the voters, and that a big takeaway for her was the importance of social media. “It’s good to know social media is such a powerful tool,” she said. “It’s a great way to communicate and to hear what’s on people’s minds. Hopefully we can use that with our new town website.”
“I think it was a good race,” Mr. Packish said, speaking to The Times from Rome, Italy, where he is vacationing. “It’s clear people are looking for change, just not enough change to put me in. I think we elevated the discussion and I’ve heard from several people in the current administration that they’re going to be listening a little more, and that’s a good thing.”
“Obviously I’m disappointed,” Mr. Taylor said. “But I think I got a good number and people got to know me and what I stand for.”
“I’m glad so many people turned out,” Mr. Seiman said.
Voters overwhelmingly elected to keep fluoride in the town water supply by a vote of 646 to 281. Although the ballot measure was listed as a non-binding question, at a meeting this fall, board of health chairman William White said he would vote with the will of the people in this election. Board member Patricia Bergeron said she would do the same. Chiropractor John Campbell, the third member of the board, has been an outspoken critic of fluoride, and helped spearhead the effort to remove it from the town water supply.
In the uncontested elections, William White was re-elected to the Board of Health (762 votes); Jesse B. Law was re-elected to the Cemetery Commission (763 votes); Alan deBettencourt Sr. was re-elected to the Park Commission (746 votes); and Kristine O’Brien was re-elected to the School Committee (706 votes); Steven Auerbach (669 votes) and Raymond Taylor (729 votes) were re-elected to three year terms and Jason Balboni (710 votes) was elected to his first three year term on the Finance and Advisory Committee (FinCom). Robert Huss was elected to a one year term on FinCom (693 votes) Joseph de Bettencourt was re-elected as Tree Warden (754 votes); Hans Vonsteiger was re-elected to the Wastewater Commission (664 votes) and Nelson Oliver was re-elected as Water District Commissioner (765 votes).
The 1,028 total votes cast represented 28 percent of the town’s 3,679 registered voters.