Ballot Set For May Election; Expect All New Select Board

Ballot Set For May Election; Expect All New Select Board
 Damien Fisher
News Staff Writer

WINCHENDON  Between Toy Town’s contentious recall election, and the fact that two long-time incumbents are not running for re-election, the Board of Selectmen could be made up of all new members after the May vote.

Neither Robert O’Keefe nor Keith Barrows are running to retain their three-year seats on the board, handing the job off to the winner of a three-way race for the two positions.

Kevin Miller, Barb-ara Anderson and Michael Barbaro are all running in that race. Audrey Labrie and Roger Doucet are squaring off for the one-year seat created when C. Jackson Blair resigned his post in October after he was voted out by the other four members as chairman.

The final two seats on the board, those of Elizabeth Hunt and Fedor Berndt, are subject to recalls.

Amy Salter is seeking to take Ms. Hunt’s seat, and Austin Cyganiewicz is angling for Mr. Berndt’s spot.

The recall is being fueled by the group Stand Up For Toy Town, which is seeking to turn over the board in order to terminate Town Manger James Kreidler’s contract.

Mr. Kreidler is seeking to leave the town on his own through a special Town Meeting vote set for next week.

The current Board of Selectmen, after meeting with the town’s labor and contract attorney, voted to negotiate a separation and release agreement with Mr. Kreidler.

The board states that there is no just cause to fire Mr. Kreidler.

If the new board does terminate his contract, the town would likely lose a lawsuit and be liable for millions of dollars in damages, they said.

Instead, voters will have the chance to approve 18-months severance, or about $299,000, for Mr. Kreidler without the risk of a lawsuit.

Three different audits have found that Mr. Kreidler was not at fault for the town’s $3.4 million deficit.

In fact, as part of the plan to get the town out of debt, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue insisted Mr. Kreidler be given more authority to manage the financial departments of the town.

The School Committee is also seeing the possibility of change, with three seats set for the ballot.

Chairwoman Dawn Harris is running unopposed for the one-year seat on the board, while Danielle Hart and Andrea Suchoki — both involved in Stand Up For Toy Town — are running against Greg Vine for the two three-year seats on the committee.

The Board of Health is also subject to a contested race, with incumbents Lionel Cloutier and John Shepardson vying with Jason Gauthier for the two three-year seats.