AMHERST – Even with a contest for School Committee and debate over forming a charter commission to study town government, few voters appeared to be going to the polls Tuesday morning.
The light turnout prompted Jerry Guidera, a supporter of establishing a nine-member charter commission, to send out an email at 11 a.m. reminding residents to vote.
“Reports are that turnout is low so far today, which works against our efforts,” Guidera said.
Kevin Collins, of Main Street, who was at the Bangs Community Center to vote in favor of the charter, said he’s not worried about the outcome, observing that 3,457 people last fall signed the petition to get the charter question on the ballot.
“If a third of the 3,457 vote yes, it’s a done deal,” Collins said. “All we need is 30 percent.”
Candidates and their supporters, along with people both opposed to and in support of the charter, were outside many of the polling places early. But by mid morning the cold temperatures and strong winds left most of the locations with only signs planted in the ground outside.
Patricia Church, of South Prospect Street, said her main concern during the morning was the continuing theft of signs. One “vote no on question one” sign near the Bangs was stolen, Church said. She went to her home to get two more, briefly standing on guard to make sure they weren’t taken.
Just before 9 a.m., a candidate for charter commission, Nicholas Grabbe, waved to passing drivers in front of the Bank of America at the corner of South Pleasant and Amity streets, joined by supporters of School Committee candidates Laura Kent and Anastasia Ordonez.
Munson Memorial Library had one of the heaviest turnouts during the early going, with 120 votes cast by 10 a.m.
But at the North Zion Korean Church, poll workers said so few voters were coming — less than 50 — that they might start rearranging furniture in the church hall to stay busy.
One voter who was finishing casting her ballot at the location, Mary-Jane Lannon of Montague Road, said she came out to support a candidate. The vote on the charter commission also attracted her, but Lannon said she wouldn’t say which way she voted on that question.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
