Voters Elect Brew, D'Angelo, Reject Town Budget

Voters in Amherst have again shot down the proposed operating budget for the Town of Amherst, but did put their voting weight behind the schools this year.

The selectmen’s proposed budget of $11,414,625 was rejected by a 974-1,051 vote, which means the town must now operate under a default budget of $11,269,800. Voters also rejected spending $260,000 to purchase a new fire engine this year, but did support adding $200,000 to a reserve fund towards a replacement.

Repairs to Amherst town hall received a large amount of voter support with only one-third of voters against paying for further repairs to the building.

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Incumbent Dwight Brew and newcomer John D’Angelo came out with a clear win over former selectmen Marilyn Peterman and Reed Panasiti with almost double their votes respectively.

The Amherst school district will welcome back incumbents Peg Bennet and Lucienne Folks, who ran together and beat challenger Michael Costolo. Bennet could be heard cheering when the news broke that voters had accepted their operating budget Tuesday night.

Souhegan cooperative school district’s results are still pending in lieu of the results from Mont Vernon voters. So far, the repair of the high school’s roof is looking to have the two-thirds support to pass with a 1,423-603 vote from Amherst voters.

The school district’s operating budget could be a closer call with a tight 1,047-983 vote in Amherst.

A total of 2,068 voters cast their ballot on Tuesday. Full Results can be found on Amherst Patch.