Election calendar set, Emerson not seeking re-election as selectman
By Caitlyn Kelleher Journal Reporter

Lorraine Emerson

Board of Selectman Chairman Lorraine Emerson said it is time for her to spend some more time with her family.

Emerson, a two-term selectman, is up for re-election in April and has decided not to seek it.

"It's not that I am going to step away completely," she said. "I definitely want to stay involved."

Emerson served for six years on the Advisory Board before runningfor selectman in 2001. She said the number of night and morning meetings, is simply tiring.

She said she is looking forward to spending time with her husband and granddaughter.

Emerson will remember many things, both good and bad, from her time on the board.

She is please that residents approved the purchase of the recreation area on Crocker Pond in 2005 and that the fire department operates an ambulance.

"We, as a community, [bought the area] for ourselves," she said. "Nobody can ever take that from us. It was definitely worth standing up and asking for that money."

Emerson has also served on the Town Hall Building Committee and is pleased to see its completion while still a selectman.

One of the memories she will carry with her is the death of Westminster Police Officer Lawrence Jupin.

"I think about walking in that funeral march. That is something that will never leave me," she said. "You can't imagine the sadness that goes through your whole department."

She said events like that drive home why public safety officials are so important.

Emerson is grateful for the support and the relationships she has developed with her colleagues over the years.

She said she hopes a woman will run for the seat to keep a woman's voice on the board.

The town caucus is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 12.

The other seats up for election this spring include Edward Simoncini's seat on the Board of Health, Robin Holm's on the Board of Assessors, Richard Ahlin's seat on the Hager Park Commission and Stanley Skamarycz's seat on the Cemetery Commission.

Two seats each on the Library Board of Trustees and the Planning Board and two constable positions will appear on the ballot.