BELCHERTOWN — The incumbents prevailed in this year’s annual town election, with both Select Board member Lesa Lessard Pearson and School Committee veteran Heidi Gutekenst holding onto their seats for another three years each.
Pearson secured 921 of the 1,752 votes, while 800 voters backed challenger and Finance Committee Vice Chair Mike McMorrow.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m up for the task,” Pearson said. “I appreciate the support that I received from the town. I’m grateful to have been given a second term, and I’m going to work twice as hard over the next three years to expedite progress in Belchertown.”
Joining Gutekenst is newcomer Hope Guardenier, a teacher of agricultural and food education in the Pioneer Valley. According to the unofficial results, Guardenier received the 1,106 votes, the highest number of votes out of three candidates, followed by Gutekenst with 977 votes. The third candidate in the race, Joshua Wallace, had 799 votes.
“I was pleased to win so many of the votes of my fellow Belchertownians,” Guardenier said. “I’m excited to get started.”
Voter turnout at this year’s election totaled 13.8%, far less than a year ago when 33.8% of voters cast ballots in an election that included a $2.9 million Proposition 2½ override. This year’s races motivated more of a turnout than in 2024, when under 10% of registered voters cast ballots.
“I feel like a lot of people came for a small election,” Gutekenst said.
Familiar faces filled the remaining municipal seats in uncontested races. Daniel Beaudette will remain on the Planning Board. Benjamin Ferrell continues his work as town moderator. David Gottsegen and Kenneth Elstein will serve another term on the Board of Health. Newcomer Jean Marie Leon will work with incumbent Loring Michael Chaney Jr. on the Board of Assessors.
An infrastructure promise
Before the election results were tallied, Pearson joined the other Select Board members at a regularly scheduled meeting. On the agenda was a notice from the federal government informing the town that Lord Jeffery Apartments at 121 N. Main St. would no longer qualify for subsidized housing by April 2028.
Without these units, the town’s affordable housing stock will drop from 6% to 3%. Under state law Chapter 40B, developers can bypass some local zoning rules in communities where affordable housing makes up less than 10% of the housing stock.
“To evict an 84-year-old woman who has limited income or for a young family who through no fault of their own are not making enough money to afford a market rate apartment, let alone enter the housing market, is untenable,” Pearson said.
The letter bolstered Pearson’s determination to diversify housing infrastructure in Belchertown. She will work with the state and federal legislative delegation to preserve Lord Jeffery’s affordable housing status, but the existing 6% of units do not meet the needs of the town’s aging population. Townhouses, condos and other affordable units will allow lifelong residents to remain in town and new families to join the Belchertown community.
“We want young people to stay, we want our elder and vet community to not only stay, but thrive in the town that often many have lived in all their lives,” Pearson added.
Infrastructure of Belchertown is not just buildings, but the people who devote time, energy and care into cultivating the community. Despite many volunteer opportunities in Belchertown, residents tell Pearson about their apprehension to commit beyond their capacity. In the next three years, Pearson hopes to develop a system to further define the duties and time commitments of each volunteer role, and honor dedicated volunteers.
Gutekenst said her next term will also focus on infrastructure, but for Belchertown’s youngest residents. She hopes to collaborate with the Select Board and Finance Committee to on a renovation plan for Jabish Brook Middle School, which needs upgrades after residents rejected plans to build a new school.
