Titus sworn in as first female Nahant selectman in 2 decades

NAHANT – For the first time in two decades, a woman is serving on the Board of Selectmen.Thursday evening, Lainey Titus was sworn in as selectman by Town Clerk Peggy Barile.Jennifer McCarthy and Titus went head-to-head Tuesday in a hotly contested race to fill the seat left vacant when Robert Frary resigned earlier this year. Titus took the seat by a margin of 802 votes to 636 for McCarthy. Titus is the first woman to serve as selectman since Jayne Solimine, who served from 1983 to 1990.Chairman Richard Lombard congratulated Titus as he welcomed her to the Board.?It was a great campaign,” he said. “It was an excellent win.”Titus took a moment to thank her supporters and acknowledge McCarthy for a “great campaign.”One of the first orders of business was discussion of a new voting machine. During the special election Tuesday, the town ballot reading machine was out of commission for almost six hours and many votes had to be read by hand.Barile said the Accu-Vote OS Ballot Scanning System is a refurbished unit and it would cost approximately $4,500. It would replace the existing Optech III A Eagle the town currently uses as of April 30, 2011. She added most cities and towns in the state use the Accu-Vote machines.The selectmen voted unanimously to change the election equipment and notify the state of the change in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws.Lombard expressed concern the machine, which malfunctioned during the special election, would break down during the state elections but Barile said she believes it would function properly.Lombard suggested the town look at the possibility of ordering two Accu-Vote OS Ballot Scanning Systems so the town would have a backup machine if there were a problem.Barile said the state requires the town have two machines but it is aware it only has one.Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said voters at the annual Town Meeting could be asked to appropriate funds for a second ballot counting machine.