Abbott
Craig
Voters in Yarmouth reelected two incumbents to the Town Council on June 11.
Councilors Heather Abbott and David Craig secured 1171 and 1256 votes, respectively. They beat out political newcomer Raymond MacLearn, who earned 699 votes. Abbott and Craig will serve another three-year term.
On the campaign trail, Craig, the current council chair, emphasized his commitment to listening to community members and pointed to his past accomplishments on council, including his work implementing the Senior Tax Assistance Yarmouth program. Abbott touted her work amplifying the voices of young and LGBTQ+ community members. MacLearn’s campaign was largely focused on reducing the tax burden.
“I’m excited to continue focusing on passing the comprehensive plan, creating climate action initiatives, advancing affordable housing projects, and finding creative ways to relieve the tax burden on households with limited income and seniors,” Abbott in an email sent after election results were tallied.
Craig reiterated his message of open communication in a post election email. “I also plan to continue my weekly office hours at a local coffee shop where I am available to listen to anyone who wants to stop by and chat,” he said.
School Committee
Hall
Fleming
In the race for Yarmouth School Committee, the three winning candidates were Anne Fleming, Kellie Hall and Sarah Olivares. Fleming earned 1,384 votes, and Hall and Olivares – who ran as “campaign allies” – secured 1,172 and 1,150 votes, respectively.
Olivares
The fourth candidate in the race, Chris Stetson, secured 690 votes.
Fleming was previously a member of the Yarmouth School Committee from 2016 to 2022, including serving a stint as its chair. In her pitch to voters, she evoked her past experience as a part of the body – particularly around budget issues and her ability to forge compromise.
At a candidate forum in May, Hall and Olivares both spoke about wanting to foster equity and inclusion at Yarmouth Schools. They struck a similar stance regarding the budget and taxes, saying that they are concerned about the burden of property taxes on voters, but that they do not weigh fiscal constraint more heavily than investment in education.
“I’m excited to work with Yarmouth students, faculty, parents and school committee members to create policies that promote both student success and well being,” said Hall in a statement after the election.
Olivares also said she is “excited to get to work for the children of Yarmouth,” and noted that one of her top priorities will be to address staff and parents’ concerns about “device usage and social media effects on kids in our schools.”
Fleming could not be reached for comment.
Fleming, Hall and Olivares will replace Newell Augur, Kate Shub, and Jeremy Fischer on the School Committee.
School budget
Voters also signed off on a $39.27 million school budget for FY 2025 – 1,235 to 760. The budget is $2.68 million more than the budget for fiscal year 2024, or an increase of 7.35%.
At the June 4 Town Meeting, residents approved a $58.8 million town-school budget that would increase taxes roughly 9% for fiscal year 2025. Within that, the municipal budget totals at $17.96 million, up $1.22 million or 7.3% from fiscal year 2024.
The mil rate – the amount of tax collected per $1,000 worth of property – for fiscal year 2025 is projected at $25.64, meaning that a property owner with a home worth $500,000 could expect to pay $12,820 in taxes.
This story was updated June 17.
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