Unity elects school, town officials

By TORY DENIS
[email protected]
UNITY — In the midst of a Tuesday morning snowstorm, voters in Unity headed over to Town Hall, braving slippery roads and an expected 8-14 inches of snowfall to cast their ballots in the town’s annual school and municipal elections.

The storm made travel difficult again this year on New Hampshire’s state election day. But even with snow-covered roads, Unity voters and staffers at the historic Town Hall appeared cheerful, chatting about the slow drive over to Town Hall.

“I had it in third, fourth gear all the way here,” one person said.

The first part of the annual town meeting opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday for elections only, with a line of voters already steadily moving through the polls.

About 143 voters turned out to cast their ballots for school and municipal seats, according to official results. Unity has approximately 1,555 residents, according to the most recent census taken in 2015.

Voters elected or re-elected the following municipal officers:

For one selectman seat, three-year term, William Schroeter was elected with 88 votes over incumbents Debra Leahy, with 27, and Kelly Simpson with 26. For town clerk, three-year term, Rosemary Heino ran unopposed and had 129 votes.

For library trustee, three-year term, Angela Buckley won over Craig Shute, 70-66.

For the seat of town treasurer, three-year term, Mary Hall was elected with 128 votes, unopposed.

Two seats were available for the planning board, with three-year terms each. Those seats were filled by Robert Trabka, with 108 votes, and Prudence McCormick with 66.

Town Moderator Fred Bellimer was re-elected for another two years, running unopposed, with 142 votes.

For the trustee of trust funds seat, a three-year term, Karen Davis ran unopposed and had 126 votes. Linda Ross was elected supervisor of the checklist, a four-year term, unopposed with 120 votes.

Two seats were available for the Unity Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). They went to Prudence McCormick, with 92 votes, and write-in Rhoda Staff with six votes.

For the school district, three candidates sought seats on the school board for the two available seats. Craig Shute, with 95 votes, and Prudence McCormick with 73 votes won over Bruce Howard, who garnered 32 votes.

The following school district officers were also elected or re-elected: For the seat of school treasurer, Robert Day won over Linda Ross, 67-61, for a one-year term. For school district clerk, Susan Schroeter, unopposed, earned 108 votes.

Bellimer was again named moderator for the school district, with 143 votes, for a one-year term.

The annual town meeting process is scheduled to continue  Saturday at Town Hall. 

Voters will have the opportunity to make decisions on the $1,033,649 annual operating budget and articles regarding road repairs, new emergency equipment for the fire department, a $300,000 Center Road reconstruction project, a proposal to adopt the provisions of an All Veterans Tax Credit (RSA 72:28-b), and all other items at the business meeting.

If adopted, the veterans tax credit of $500 would be available to any resident, or to the spouse or surviving spouse of any resident, who served at least 90 days on active service in the U.S. Armed Forces, and who were honorably discharged or an officer honorably separated, and not receiving or eligible for RSA 72:28 or RSA 72:35 (standard or optional veterans’ tax credit already voted by the town of Unity).

Because several elections were rescheduled statewide last year due to a blizzard, the Secretary of State William Gardner and Attorney General Gordon McDonald issued a joint statement Monday notifying  public officials that they could not postpone elections — all town elections must be held on the second Tuesday of March, regardless of weather conditions.

Town meetings and business meetings can be rescheduled in New Hampshire, if needed, due to extreme weather.

Unity’s annual town meeting warrant, however, had already set the business meeting continuation for the following Saturday, so no postponement was considered.  

Voters in Unity are invited to reconvene at noon on Saturday to continue the business meeting portion of the Annual Town Meeting, and to vote on budget appropriations and all other articles.