At 21, newly elected Michael Clark will become the youngest member to serve on the School Committee.
LONGMEADOW – Michael R. Clark is now the youngest member ever to serve on the School Committee after earning a three-year seat on the board during the annual Town Election held Tuesday.
The 21-year-old University of Massachusetts student ran unopposed and received 366 votes.
Michael Clark“I am very surprised. I think it’s the result of having been out there and being very visible,” Clark said. “ I treated this campaign like it was a very highly contested race and I had to make it known that I wanted this whether or not I had competition.”
Town Clerk Katherine T. Ingram said the voter turnout was especially low. Only 535 residents cast votes, about 4.5 percent of the town’s 11,988 registered voters.
Ingram said she will be looking into whether this is the lowest voter turnout the town has ever had.
Marie Angelides ran unopposed for an open seat on the Select Board. She received 404 votes.
“I’m excited to take on the challenge of working with the other board members,” she said.
Angelides ran unsuccessfully for state representative in the 2nd Hampden District last year. Asked if she will run for a legislative seat in 2012 Angelides said she would rather focus on her community for now.
“ Right now my eyes are on the Select Board. There’s a lot of work to do and I’m very excited about it. I’m looking forward to working with my community,” she said.
School Committee incumbents John J. Fitzgerald and Gwen M. Bruns kept their three-year seats on the committee with 343 and 341 votes respectively.
Newcomer Laurie Flynn, who ran unopposed for a one-year seat on the School Committee, received 370 votes.
One question on the ballot asked residents to approve a Proposition 2½ override of $534,000 to repair drainage systems and erosion off Ely Way and Englewood Road. The question passed with 267 in favor and 234 opposed.
In other uncontested races, Walter Gunn retained a five-year seat on the Planning Board, incumbent Roy Johansen earned a three-year seat on the Planning Board and Stephen Metz, a member of the Capital Planning Committee, earned a five-year seat on the Housing Authority.