NORTHAMPTON — Russell Carrier, president of the Forbes Library trustees, won reelection on Tuesday, while Debin Bruce defeated Stanley Sherer for the second seat on the ballot.
Bruce, who appeared on the ballot as Deborah Sue Bruce, was the top vote-getter of the night, picking up 4,010 votes to Carrier’s 2,976. Sherer earned 1,922 votes.
Incumbent Marjorie Hess, the board’s vice president, did not seek reelection. In a statement on Wednesday, Bruce thanked Hess for “her dedicated work with Forbes Library.”
The Forbes trustees oversee the 20 West St. library, hiring and evaluating the director, monitoring the finances and approving changes to library policies. All five trustees serve four-year terms and the elections are staggered, meaning that two seats were on the ballot this year, while the other three seats will appear on the 2023 ballot.
Carrier has served as president of the trustees for his entire 40-year tenure, and he said he is the longest-serving trustee in Forbes Library history. Tuesday’s election was his 11th victory for the seat.
Carrier, a former U.S. history teacher in Springfield high schools for 44 years, said the Founders of the nation valued “civic virtue” and giving back to the community, and that he shares those values. He said his family had “very little formal education” and that Forbes and Lilly libraries had a significant impact on his upbringing and his ability to become a teacher.
Bruce spent much of her career conducting transportation safety research. She started at NASA performing technical communications work, later worked as a Federal Aviation Administration contractor and then spent more than 20 years at the National Transportation Safety Board before retiring.
“I am honored and excited to work with the library,” Bruce said. “I admire the institution and have been impressed with how they continued to provide safe interactions and services during the pandemic.”
Originally from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, she moved to Northampton from Washington, D.C., in 2006. She has served as chair of the Planning Board and president of the Northampton Survival Center board of directors and was a member of numerous city boards including the Community Preservation Commission and the Rail Station Advisory Committee.
Bruce said that the incumbent trustees invited the candidates to their meetings during the campaign season, “and I was impressed with their dedication and professionalism. I look forward to working with the other Trustees and staff to strengthen Forbes.” She said the library is “a treasured institution in a special town.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday’s general election ballot, voters chose City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra for mayor, and Jamila Gore and Marissa Elkins won two at-large City Council seats. Voters also approved Question 1, allowing the city to pursue a municipal broadband internet system, by 7,426 votes to 705.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.