MARBLEHEAD — All five members of the Board of Selectmen were re-elected Tuesday night in a race that brought out less than 15 percent of registered voters.
“We’re a very good team,” said James Nye, who was first elected in 2005. “The town has been working well.”
Jackie Belf-Becker, who was also elected for her 14th term, agreed.
“It’s just organic,” she said.
Judith Jacobi secured the most votes. According to the unofficial results, she racked up 1,580 votes. Nye trailed her with 1,546 votes. Belf-Becker earned 1,488, Harry Christensen 1,473, and Mark Moses Grader 1,423.
Challenger John Liming finished the race with 650 votes.
Nye, the president and CEO of National Grand Bank Marblehead, was first elected in 2005 and Belf-Becker is an attorney who has lived in Marblehead for more than four decades.
Christensen has served on board for more than two decades and has lived in Marblehead his entire life, with the exception of the years he spent in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was badly wounded in Vietnam, returned home, and earned a bachelors, masters, and law degree. He works at a law firm in town alongside his son, he said.
Grader was elected last year. He spent nine years on the town’s Finance Committee and was chairman for five.
This year was the first the five members chose not to hold signs on election day, said Jacobi, so seeing the results was relieving.
“We all agreed not to hold signs this year,” she said.
Running a campaign and holding signs each year for a one-year term is a lot of work, said Belf-Becker.
“In the end, the signs don’t vote,” she said.
Other races
Meagan Taylor and Sarah Gold were each elected to the School Committee for three- and two-year terms, respectively. Taylor received 1,220 votes and Gold received 1,088.
Sarah Fox and Luisa Boverini were also each running for three-year terms, but Fox trailed Taylor with 607 votes and Boverini had 168.
Brenda Kim came in just shy for the two-year term with 863 votes.
Janet Merrill won a three-year seat on the Cemetery Commission with 1,158 votes. Michael Maccario and Karl Johnson were each elected to the Light Commission with 1,375 and 936 votes respectively.
