Barnstable Town Election: New Faces, Write-in Campaign

With redistricting, the Barnstable Town Election featured open Town Council seats in all 13 precincts. Two incumbents were unseated, and in total, the Council will have six new members.

The Barnstable Housing Authority also featured a write-in race for the second of two open spaces. Michael Sweeney Jr. earned 276 write-in votes to the 82 received by Ron Beatty.

Richard A. Cross, Jr. received 4,474 votes on his way to retaining his Housing Authority seat.

The closest race of the day Tuesday was for Precinct 2. Challenger Eric R. Steinhilber defeated Thomas R. Rugo by just 8 votes, 326-318. It's unclear if a recount will be called.

The other new candidate to beat an incumbent was Philip N. Wallace, who defeated incumbent June M.  Daley by 102 votes of the 964 votes cast in Precinct 11.

In Precinct 5, James H. Crocker, Jr. took 54 percent of the vote, defeating Antonia Bellanca.

William L. Crocker, Jr. beat Deborah G. Converse by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent for the Precinct 6 seat.

Paul Hebert and Sara Cushing will represent Precinct 3 and Precinct 10 respectively after the newcomers ran unchallenged for open seats.

In Precinct 9, James M. Tinsley, Jr., knocked off challenger Timothy J. Ferreira with 64 percent of the 191 votes cast in the precinct.

Incumbent John T. Norman also retained his seat, beating challenger Donald C. Lynde by 58 percent.

There were also five Town Council incumbents who ran unopposed. Seats were retained by Ann Canedy, Precinct 1; Frederick Chirigotis, Precinct 4; Jessica Rapp Grassetti, Precinct 7; council president Debra Dagwan, Precinct 8; and Jennifer Cullum of Precinct 13.

Question 1, a non-binding resolution that calls for the closure of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station,passed by a margin of  4,234 to 1,562 or 73 percent of the 5,796 votes cast.

Barnstable becomes the 15th Cape Cod town to pass a measure asking for the closure of the Plymouth-based nuclear reactor.