By Brian Messenger
There were no landslide victories in Andover on March 25. There will be no Community Preservation Act either.
With 13.6 percent of registered voters heading to the polls, the CPA — a 1 percent tax surcharge to pay for specific projects — was defeated by 310 votes. More than 55 percent of voters cast ballots against the proposal.
"In the end, I guess it wasn't meant to be," said former selectman John Hess, chairman of the Andover CPA Coalition. "I think it's a little short-sighted of the town."
A total of 2,769 ballots were cast at the Richard Collins Field House.
Six candidates appeared on this year's ballot, down from 15 in 2007 when 22 percent of registered voters participated.
In the race for the Board of Selectmen, incumbent Mary Lyman defeated challenger Peter Cotch by a 260-vote margin.
Even more closely contested was the campaign for School Committee, where newcomers Dennis Forgue and Gregory Rigby were both vying for incumbent David Samuel's seat. Forgue earned the nomination by a 224-vote margin.
"I'm a little daunted by what's in front of me, but grateful for the support and humbled by the vote," said Forgue from his home after the polls closed at 8 p.m. "I feel much more a part of this community today than I did two months ago."
In two uncontested races, last year's rookie Town Moderator Sheila Doherty was re-elected, as was current Andover Housing Authority member Janice Burkholder.
Tax surcharge rejected
The only ballot question this year offered residents an opportunity to ratify the Community Preservation Act, but it was defeated 1,518 votes to 1,208.
Already approved at Town Meeting last spring, the CPA would have instituted a 1 percent surcharge on residents' property tax bills to establish a fund for projects related to open space and recreation, affordable housing and historic preservation.
Any funds raised by the town would have been eligible for a percentage of state money in return.
This was the second time Andover voters defeated the CPA. It was first defeated at 2002 Town Meeting.
"I think we missed a real opportunity in 2002, and I think we're missing a real opportunity again," said Susan Stott, a member of the CPA Coalition. "It's too bad we're not getting state money for things that we have to do."
Pleased with the defeat of the CPA was former Andover fire Chief Bill Downs, who spent the duration of election day along Shawsheen Road expressing his opposition to the ballot question and other tax increases to passers-by.
"They're going for the override, and (residents) don't have the money for it," said Downs, after a day spent outdoors in the cold. "This just isn't the year."
Hess admitted that most people in town don't want to have their taxes increase.
"I think that's an excuse that people use a lot," said Hess. "There's never a good year when you raise taxes."
While Stott speculated that the CPA may have been defeated in part because there was no specific, large-scale project to highlight during the recent campaign, Hess said such a project could be found in the proposed restoration of Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Doherty Middle School.
"It's not as pressing for the town as the overall budget crisis," said Hess. "Nobody knows if we're going to have a Proposition 21/2 override, but I sense there were some people who thought, 'If there was going to be more (taxes), I'd rather have that.'
"It's going to be up to the selectmen and the School Committee to find out how to pay for those things," said Hess. "A lot of those projects will just be put off, and they won't get done."
Hess said he expected more people to vote but was unsure if more participation would have affected the outcome of the ballot question.
"I think it was a big enough margin where it probably wouldn't have made a big enough difference," said Hess. "You can never tell."
With 20,385 voters registered in Andover, the approximately 14 percent turnout in this year's election did not surprise Town Clerk Randy Hanson.
"That's about average," said Hanson. "It doesn't appear that it was different than a typical race, despite there being a (ballot) question."
Doherty, the daughter of longtime Town Moderator Jim Doherty who ran against four other candidates last year, will take the gavel for a second time this spring. Town Meeting is scheduled to begin April 30.
"Certainly it was much easier than the first race," said Doherty. "It was very gratifying to get the votes that I got. That was nice. A lot less stressful this year than last year."
Doherty, a Juniper Road resident, received 2,093 votes. Burkholder, of Arundel Street, the Andover Housing Authority candidate, received 1,932.
Reporter Bethany Bray contributed to this report.
