Conant Defeats Sears by Two Votes for Housing Authority Seat

"Two votes - can you believe it?" said Sandra Conant when she arrived at shortly after votes had been tallied to reveal she had narrowly defeated Elaine Sears for a Housing Authority position Tuesday night.

Conant won what Town Clerk Jeremy Gillis called the closest election he had seen since he took over three years ago. Conant, who has been on the Housing Authority for 15 years, retained her seat by a tally of 377-375 in an election that brought out 886 voters, or 6 percent of enrolled voters, according to unofficial numbers released by Town Clerk Jeremy Gillis Tuesday evening.

The two candidates split the six precincts evenly. Conant won precinct two, which consists of Parker Terrace and Elise Circle by a tally of 122-98.

While Gillis said Sears could petition for a recount, the Council on Aging driver said she had no intentions of challenging the totals.

"I thought it would be a tight race," said Sears. "She has been there for a while. I’m just surprised that it was that tight, so it was a shocker."

Sears wished Conant luck as she continued with her tenure on the authority, and said she would consider running for election the next time a position is open.

"I really want to help the Housing Authority out and bring in some fresh ideas," she said.

Sears said it was an accomplishment to run such a tight race with someone who had been on the authority for 15 years.

For Conant, a Parker Terrace resident, she looks forward to continuing her tenure on the authority. She said the tight race should be evidence that every vote counts.

"A lot of people don’t vote," she said. "It’s sad because they don’t realize how important it is. It is to me, because I love the people in this town and I love to be able to help them."