Faris Says He'd Run Again

Stephen Faris says the results of Tuesday's Westborough annual town election won't discourage him from running for selectman again.

Voters re-elected incumbents Timothy Dodd and Leigh Emery to three-year terms. Dodd received 972 votes, according to official results from Town Clerk Nancy Yendriga. Emery received 833 votes, and Faris received 426 votes.

"We got 430 votes, which means that there is some support for what I consider over-taxation," Faris said.

The election drew 1,217 of Westborough's 11,140 eligible registered voters, an 11 percent turnout, Yendriga said.

Dodd called being elected to his third term "a humbling experience."

"I think I work hard and I try my best," he said.

Emery said she "will do my utmost to carry out the duties I see as those of the selectmen."

"The take-away to me, is that the electorate endorsed the direction the board of selectmen have taken to put our fiscal policies and actions into order and to stabilize our projected tax rate at around 1 percent, plus or minus, over the next five years," said Emery, who was elected to her fourth term.

"I will work to meet all the challenges the town faces in terms of development, cost control, education costs, protecting our town resources, including human, and looking for external resources to augment our revenue. I would like find new ways to encourage voter participation and will work on strategies to
increase that."