WHATELY — There are no contested races in Whately’s election on Tuesday, although a new member will be chosen to join the Select Board.
Member Jonathan Edwards, who has served on the board for 18 years, is not seeking another term. Julianna “Julie” Waggoner, 62, is running for the three-year term.
Polls will be open at Town Hall, 194 Chestnut Plain Road, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Waggoner has lived in West Whately for more than 20 years, and has been a resident of the Pioneer Valley since 1978. She previously served on the town Cultural Council, stepping down in September 2021.
However, it took an international crisis to convince Waggoner to get back into the political world.
“I was looking at what was happening in Ukraine,” she said, “and I thought, ‘If there’s any way that I can help this world, I want to do it.’”
Waggoner used to work for an architectural firm, where she learned a lot about the environment, planning and housing, and she still works in the architectural community. She thinks her experience in this field will be helpful when discussing issues such as affordable housing and housing for seniors.
When asked about her goals for her time in office, should she be elected to the three-year term, Waggoner said she “simply wants to learn.” She said her first six months to a year on the Select Board would be spent learning about what Whately residents expect from the board.
The rest of Tuesday’s election ballot is as follows:
■Moderator, one-year term — incumbent Nathanael Fortune.
■Town clerk, three-year term — Amy Schrader.
■Whately Elementary School Committee, three-year term — incumbent Bethany Reilly.
■Board of Assessors, three-year term — incumbent Cathleen Grady.
■Library trustee, three-year term — incumbent Robert Smith.
■Cemetery commissioner, three-year term — incumbent Neal Abraham.
■Board of Health, three-year term — incumbent Michael Archbald.
■Water commissioner, three-year term — incumbent George Bucala Jr.
■Elector Under Oliver Smith Will, one-year term — incumbent Keith Bardwell.
■Constable, two seats with three-year terms — incumbent Thomas Mahar and Kristjan Viise.
■Frontier Regional School District School Committee, two-year term — William Smith.