Voters in Rockingham casts their ballots in local and school elections on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
BELLOWS FALLS — Rockingham voters said overwhelmingly Tuesday that it was time for change — but not too much change — on their school boards.
All four incumbents that were up for re-election — three on the Bellows Falls Union High School board and the chairwoman of the Rockingham School Board — lost their seats on Tuesday. And it wasn’t even close.
Winning election to the BFUHS board were three familiar names: Paul Obuchowski, Christopher Hodsden and Kim Keefe. They were the top vote getters, with Obuchowski defeating BFUHS Chairman Jason Terry, 546-149, for a three year seat.
Obuchowski had previously served 30 years on the BFUHS board, but had stepped down about 12 years ago. He said after the results were announced, that “it was time” for him to return.
Hodsden is another familiar name: he was the principal at the high school for 16 years before resigning and taking a job teaching at the Windham County Technical Center in Brattleboro. And Keefe was a former front-desk employee at the high school.
And in the one race on the Rockingham School Board, former chairman Rick Holloway defeated current Chairwoman Priscilla Lambert.
All three new BFUHS directors had opposed the high school’s budget last month, with Obuchowski saying it wasn’t enough to take care of the school’s students.
“The students always come first, and the taxpayers second,” he said.
All three said Tuesday evening they looked forward to their time on the board. Reorganization, originally slated for Wednesday night, has been pushed back to Monday because of the snowstorm.
Both Obuchowski and Hodsden said they wouldn’t be there. “I’ll be in Hilton Head,” said Obuchowski. Hodsden said he was traveling and wasn’t sure he would be back in town in time.
In the race for two, one-year seats, Hodsden, was the top vote getter with 411, and Keefe, second with 310 votes, taking the seats held by incumbents Mike Stack, 196 votes, and Deborah Wright, 77 votes.
Other candidates for the one-year seats included Terry with 134 votes, and Virginia Driscoll with 184 votes. .
And on the Rockingham board, Holloway defeated Lambert, 460-192.
On the Rockingham Select Board, the lone incumbent to win re-election this year during Town Meeting was Select Board member Bonnie North, 313 votes. The top vote getter in a five-way race for two, one-year seats was John Dunbar, with 544 votes, whose twin brother Jeff is currently on the Bellows Falls Village Trustees.
Candidates gather outside the Rockingham polling station as voters cast their ballots in local and school elections on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Purchase local photos online.
The other select board candidates included Jamey Berrick with 180 votes, Deborah Wright with 148 votes, and Stan Talstra with 67 votes.
The $10.7 million Rockingham school budget was approved 412-232. Taxes are estimated to rise about nine percent, but final calculations are still pending.
Rick Cowan ran unopposed for a three-year seat on the board, which was vacated by North, while Cowan gave up his one-year seat for the longer term.
And Rockingham School Board member James “Jiggs” McAuliffe was also re-elected for a two-year seat, unopposed.
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