Marblehead incumbents heading back to office

MARBLEHEAD – Incumbents were swept back into office in Monday’s town election – because all but one of the races on the ballot were uncontested.In the sole contested race Recreation and Park Commission incumbents David Rodgers, Derek Norcross, Linda A. Rice Collins, Charles Edward "Chip" Osborne Jr. and Sam Ganglani faced a challenge from Rose Ann Wheeler McCarthy.Town-wide results showed Rodgers with 817 votes, Norcross with 799, Collins with 778, Osborne with 767, Ganglani with 734 and McCarthy with 413."It was a good race, we worked very hard and we did our very best," said McCarthy, who came to Abbot Hall with her adult son, Danny, to watch election workers post the results."I want to thank the wonderful people who voted for me," she said. "I believe every board should be challenged. It keeps them on their toes."Also on hand were Collins and Ganglani. Both were looking forward to a busy year, which will include hiring the replacement for retiring Director of Recreation Parks and Forestry Thomas Hamond, a 44-year town employee, construction of a new town pier at Gery Park, repairs to Devereux Beach and the Green Street Playgorund and reviving the town nursery.Only 1,230 of the town’s voters turned out Monday, 9.2 percent, the lowest that Town Clerk Robin Michaud has seen in seven years in the clerk’s office and in her words, "the lowest in a long time.""It’s just an off year," she added. "There’s no competition." She recalled that the 100th voter at Precinct 3 got a round of applause from the election workers Monday afternoon.