Salem Voters Make Decisions On Races, Town And School Budgets

SALEM, NH — Voters in Salem go to the polls on Tuesday, March 9, to vote on town positions, zoning amendments, and budget items.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ward 1 voters will cast ballots at the Fisk School at 14 Main St.

Ward 2 voters will cast ballots at the Soule School at 173 S. Policy St.

Ward 3 voters will vote at the Barron School at 55 Butler St.

Ward 4 voters will cast ballots at the senior center at 1 Sally Sweets Way.

Ward 6 voters will vote at the North Salem School at 140 Zion Hill Road.

For streets and polling locations, visit this town link.

There are six competitive town office races.

Three candidates are running for a one-year board of selectman seat: Everett McBridge Jr., Michael Moore, and Susan Perrault.

Four candidates are running for three, three-year budget committee seats: Jeffrey Boyer, Peter Edgerly, Sean Lewis, and Lukasz "Luke" Mroz.

Two candidates are running for a single, one-year budget committee seat: Dane Hoover and Donna Loranger.

There are three people running for two planning board seats: Keith Belair, Robert Gibbs, and Paul Pelletier. The winners will serve for three years.

There are also two, three-year zoning board of adjustment seats. Four candidates are running: Eugene Bryant, Edward Huminick, John Manning, and George Perry.

Voters also have dozens of articles to make decisions about.

Article 1 would allow two virtual town meetings for proposed warrant articles sometime before Sept. 1 to adopt an operating budget.

Article 3 to Article 10 all address zoning issues including the elimination of content-related regulations for signs, a solar energy ordinance, a revision of open space preservation ordinance, a depot overlay district, a requirement for 10 percent of new multi-family housing projects to be geared toward affordable to moderate household incomes, a proposal to merge zoning changes for inlaw and accessory apartments, a proposal to rezone land off Hagop Road and South Broadway to commercial-industrial from garden apartment district, and a proposal to rezone land on Delaware Drive from rural to commercial-industrial.

There are also 13 budget articles.

Article 11 proposes nearly $1 million for an ambulance and firetruck, two command vehicles for police, a dump truck, and other vehicles.

Article 12, a petition, proposes $0 to be spent in the Samoset Drive Neighborhood Water bonding.

Article 13 proposes $75,000 be spent on stormwater management.

Article 14 is a $53.9 million town operating budget with a default budget of $52.7 million.

Article 16 and 17 are pay raises for administrative employees.

Article 18 and 19 are trust and capital fund decisions.

Article 20 would place all funds from timber harvesting into the conservation commission forest management fund.

Article 21 would authorize selectmen to sell tax deeded property.

Article 22, a petition, would be to increase Kelley Library Employees' economic benefits by $9,587.

Article 23 is also a petition to budget $0 for a voters' guide to be mailed to all homes one week prior to the deliberative session.

For a sample ballot of the town election, in .pdf format, visit this link.

For information about 2021 Town Meeting in Salem, visit this town link.

For town budget information and presentations, visit this town link.

On the school ballot, voters will decide on a $78.4 million budget with a default budget set at $78.6 million. Voters will also decide whether to approve nearly $845,000 in raises to Salem Education Association employees.

A sample of the school ballot can be found here.

For school budget information, visit this link.

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