Town Election Results: Select Board Incumbent Loses Reelection

NEEDHAM, MA — The Annual Town Election was held Tuesday, April 13. Get caught up here with who will be serving in office and their policy initiatives.

Contested Elections

Select Board:

Moe Handel, four-term Select Board member and three-time chair, lost his reelection Tuesday when he came in third, with 2,581 votes.

Lakshmi Balachandra, a professor at Babson College, came in first with 3,818 votes. Marcus Nelson, a youth and community organizer, placed second with 3,668 votes. Nelson and Balachandra are the first people of color to ever serve on Needham's Select Board.

Here are Balachandra's priorities, as stated on her campaign site:

Provide clarity of town investments - communicate where your tax dollars are going.

Build better and safer playgrounds, playspaces, and community greenspaces.

Prioritize gender, racial, and social equity and justice across all community endeavors.

Increase town responsibility in environmental actions to combat climate change.

Provide oversight of town expenditures and fiscal responsibility of town operations, including police, fire, education, and social services.

Identify and implement town-based solutions to support our local businesses.

Navigate Needham into a stronger Post-Covid community by incorporating pandemic best practices, such as increased government interaction (zoom meetings!)

Offer real representation: I will listen to YOU and bring YOUR concerns to the Select Board.

Nelson stated the following as his list of initiatives:

Schools: Using balanced restorative justice practices and creating a more diverse and inclusive hiring process. Work with the Board of Health to increase access to mental health care.

Small Business: Increase assistance to non-white business owners who have been affected by the pandemic disproportionately. Seek out additional revenue for the community.

Environment: Look to other communities that have implemented sustainability measures, create a Town Green Manager to focus on funding related to "green" efforts, as well as designate a Sustainability Coordinator. Nelson is also calling to move toward a net zero energy use for municipal buildings, "energy efficiency, green building, clean energy, sustainable transportation, clean water and vibrant green spaces, more local food, less waste, and cross cutting priorities."

Racial and Social Justice: Hold the town accountable to the plans in the Needham Unite Against Racism Initiative.

Diversity in Decision Making: Nelson says as a young Black man, he can offer a unique perspective when the town has to make decisions.

Town Assessor:

Barry Pollack.

School Committee

Liz Lee and Michael O'Brien were elected. Both are new to the Committee and have or had children in the district.

From Lee's campaign website:

Navigating COVID: The most immediate priority facing our schools is COVID and marrying science with the logistics needed to move into the next phase of schooling.

Community and Communication: My doctoral work focused on an ongoing question — what are the barriers to communication among families, schools, and communities and how might we address them? I bring a research-based lens to the idea that communication among all stakeholders supports deeper understanding of community needs and results in equitable solutions.

Equity in Education: Equity is the central issue of our time. I believe in placing equity at the center. Period. This is especially true for education. My professional role, my research, and my experience in teaching has demonstrated that working towards an equitable society is not only the ethical path forward, it will also result in a better world for everyone

21st Century Learning: Education is at a pivot point. Should we continue in a system designed for the late 1800s? Or should we look to the possibilities of our future and realign teaching and learning to meet those goals? I support Needham's Portrait of Needham Graduate as an important step towards pivoting into the 21st Century.

From O'Brien's campaign website:

Make sure there is equity for all students and that they have access to all the resources our schools provide.

Listen to the needs of the Needham community and be a bridge to our school leaders.

Support our teachers and staff with the tools they need to prepare our children for the ever-changing world.

Communicate regarding school planning and policies and welcoming thoughts and ideas from community members.

Be fiscally responsible with our school budget in understanding and articulating the needs of our schools.

Town Meeting Members

Precinct C (A and B were uncontested):
Michael O'Brien, Susan Neckes, Joseph Barnes, Paul Alpert, Joshua Levy, Ted Owens, Paul Tilltonson, Gilbert Cox

Precinct E (D was uncontested):
Constance Barr, Ann Cosgrove, Cynthia Chaston, Carol Fachetti, Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Phillip Murray, Philip Robey, William Paulson and Bonnie McLellan.

Precinct G (F was uncontested):
Abigail Jones Hays, Jessica Zaplin Karlin, Jennifer Lewis Buell, Susan Welby, Maureen McCaffrey, Thomas Harkins, Susan McGarvey and Cristopher Thomas.

Precinct H:
Elizabeth Handler, M. Patricia Cruickshank, John Bulian, Kimberly Knickle-Tierney, Marsha Moller, Heinz Brinkhaus, Lynn Feigenbaum and Kevin Tierney.

Precinct I:
Rebecca Young, Peter Atallah, Lois Sockol, John Gallo, Rachel Weinstock, Paul Robey III, David Escalante and Catherine Mertz.

Uncontested Elections

Trustee of Memorial Park:

William Topham (Veteran Memorials)
Mark Forbes (Non-Veteran Memorials)

Trustee of Needham Public Library:

Jay Fialkov
Anna Giraldo-Kerr

Board of Health:

Kathleen Ward Brown
Robert Partridge

Planning Board:

Natasha Espada

Commissioner of Trust Funds:

Heydon Traub

Needham Housing Authority:

Janice Bennett

Parks and Recreation Commission:

Christopher Gerstel
Dina Hannigan

Town Meeting Members:

Precinct A:
Erik Bailey, Emily Cooper, Richard Creem, John Diodato, Rachel Miller, Elizabeth Sargent, Alexander Garlick and Heather Krechmer

Precinct B:
Elizabeth Bloom, Marianna Borrelli, Kim Marie Nicols, Margot Copeland Pyle, Sarah Ann Toan, Kathleen Krey Alwart, Laura Dorfman, Mark Dorfman

Precinct D:
Holly Anne Clark, Lathryn D'Addesio, Ann Der Marderosian, Bruce Eisenhut, Reginald Foster, Kathleen Lewis, Emma Navales, Carol Pately

Precinct F:
Alison Borrelli, John Connelly, Gail Davis, Richard Davis, Joseph McCabe, Jennifer Sexton, William Zoppo and Liz Lee

Precinct J:
Joan Berlin, Lisa Cherbuliez, William Dermody, Michael Greis, Elizabeth Kaponya, Christine McCourt Donna Mullin.