SOUTH HADLEY – For the third time since it was first proposed in 2001, South Hadley rejected the Community Preservation Act by a 14-vote margin in Tuesday’s annual election.
The vote was 727 against and 713 in favor of the program under which property owners would have paid an additional 1.5 percent in taxes to create a fund for projects related to open space, historical preservation, recreation and affordable housing.
The election attracted 1,552 of the town’s 10,595 registered voters for a turnout of 14.6 percent.
Voters also returned incumbent Kurt Schenker to the South Hadley Electric Light Department commission and added three new people to the board, which is expanding from three to five members. The other top vote getter for a three-year seat on the commission was Vernon Blodgett, who received 805 votes. Schenker got 583 votes. The losers were Diane Supczak-Mulvaney with 565 votes and Dale Johnston with 419 votes.
The winner of a two-way race for a two-year seat on the commission was Gregory Dubreuil who narrowly defeated Jeffrey Millard by a vote of 669- 656.
Select Board member John Hine ran unopposed for a one-year seat on the commission.
Community Preservation Act supporter Gerald “Tony” Judge, who came to Town Hall after the voting to witness the tally, said he was disappointed by the result but that he was heartened by how close the vote was. “I am happy to have made the case and to have nearly won,” he said. “We’ll be back.”
The town created a 15-member study committee in 2001, a year after the legislation enabling the CPA was adopted. They recommended against participation. Another study committee was formed in 2006, which endorsed participation in the CPA, but voters rejected the proposal by a vote of 1,257 to 1,121 at the annual election in April 2008.
State Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, who was also at Town Hall for the vote count, expressed frustration by Tuesday’s result.
“Fourteen people determined that South Hadley’s money is going to go to other communities and not a dime is going to come back to us from the state,” he said, referring to the margin by which the measure was defeated. Under the CPA, the state contributes money to projects funded under the program.
All three incumbents in a race that included four candidates where returned to the library board of trustees. Barbara Merchant received 869 votes, Robert Berwick got 750 and Maxine Cechvala got 735. The unsuccessful challenger, Richard Matteson, received 549 votes.
Ira Brezinski was reelected unopposed to another three-year term on the Select Board. John Kelly was reelected unopposed to another three-year term on the School Committee.
Eric Goldscheider can be reached at eric.goldscheider@gmail.com.