BELLOWS FALLS — A newcomer and an incumbent won the two open two-year seats on the Village Trustees on Tuesday, while the incumbent turned back a challenge by two other candidates for the Village President.
Charlie Hunter and Colin James were the two top vote-getters in the two-year race. Hunter had 197 votes, while James got 173. Former trustee Scott Falzo led the also-rans with 154, followed by Leslie White with 138 and Deborah Wright with 68.
Incumbent Roger Riccio easily won another one-year term as village president. He received 217 votes to former trustee Lance Allen's 80. Wright also tried for the presidential seat, and fell well short with 77 voters.
The new board of trustees will have plenty on their plate immediately. On Monday night, voters rejected a proposed $1,945,367 village budget by a 54-38 margin.
Complaints about the rising cost of the police department, set at $1,139,057 for fiscal year 2014 in the budget that was rejected, drove much of the opposition to the budget.
Village officials now have to redraft a new budget to present to voters before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, and warn a new village meeting before that date.
Hunter, an artist and one-time music promoter, created the Roots on the River music festival, and helped found the BF Farmers' Market. He told The Commons before the election that he hopes to bring to the board “a willingness to work with people [and] to delegate and to listen.”
James has served two years as trustee. He told The Commons before the vote that he supports the police budget “100 percent.”