No candidate for one Chester Select Board seat Hopefuls also lacking for nine other positions

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Chester Select Board member Dan Cote, serving a three-year term, apparently is not running again, but incumbent member Lee Gustafson, who has served two one-year terms, is running for that three-year term.

And Ben Whalen is seeking re-election to a one-year term. However, by deadline at 5 p.m.  Monday, Jan. 28, no one had turned in a petition to get on the ballot for the one-year term that Gustafson is giving up.

This makes it possible for an uncontested write-in candidate to win with just 25 votes.  With the petitions in, out of 19 open offices, only nine have candidates, which are as follows:

Town Moderator – 1 one-year term – Bill Dakin

Select Board – 1 three-year term – Lee Gustafson

Select Board – 2 one-year terms – Ben Whalen, No second candidate

Town Grand Juror – 1 one-year term – No candidate

Agent to Defend Suits – 1 one-year term – No candidate

Trustee of Public Funds – 1 three-year term – Erron Carey

Trustees of Whiting Library – 2 three-year terms – Edward Grossman, David A. Lord

Trustees of Whiting Library – unexpired one-year term – No candidate

Green Mountain Unified School District Director – 2 three-year terms – Lois Perlah, Michael Studin

Green Mountain Unified School District Director – unexpired one-year term – Richard C. Alexander

Budget Committee – 6 three-year positions – No candidates

Voting on Articles 5 through 25 will be done from the floor beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, March 4, also at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. in Chester. Voting by secret ballot for candidates and three articles will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, also  at Town Hall.