2015 Troy Election Results

Troy elects former chief to board

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff | Posted: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 12:00 pm

TROY — The town’s former police chief will be its next selectman.

Howard M. Sheats Jr. won election to a one-year term on the board Tuesday, beating out four other residents for the spot.

Sheats, who served as Troy police chief from 2004 to 2013, will finish out the term of Robert J. Kemp Jr., who resigned from the board in January.

He will join selectmen Chairman William T. Matson and Selectman Gideon L. Nadeau Sr. on the board.

Nadeau was re-elected to a three-year term on the board Tuesday, receiving 181 votes to challenger Joel P. Hannon’s 153.

Sheats wrote in the Troy Town News this month that if elected, he promises “… to keep the town’s best interest at heart.”

“I feel my experience as police chief has helped me to understand town government, budgeting, along with the needs of town residents,” he wrote.

Sheats, who retired in 2013, was unavailable for comment Tuesday night.

Sheats received 99 votes. Challenger Richard H. Thackston 3rd received 85 votes followed by Curtis C. Hopkins with 68 votes, Charles R. Beauregard Jr. with 62 votes and T. Thomas Austin with 11 votes.

Thackston said Tuesday night that Sheats will be a good selectman, as he was police chief.

He said he didn’t think anyone was running for the selectman seat when he signed up, and he isn’t mad at Sheats for winning the race.

“I certainly think I would have done a good job, but (Sheats) will do a good job,” he said.

Beauregard, who recently moved from Swanzey to Troy, said he isn’t upset about not getting elected, and summed it us as the voters just not being ready for him.

While living in Swanzey, Beauregard was a selectman for nine years, and served at least two years on the zoning board of adjustment. He was also a volunteer firefighter and was a member of two of the town’s covered bridge committees.

Beauregard said he decided to run for selectman in Troy because the town has a lot of issues that need to be addressed if the community is going to get better.

The following people were elected without opposition: Marcy Johnson, town clerk/tax collector, three years; Allan Bailey, library trustee, three years; Michael J. Walsh, trustee of trust funds, three years; Mikel D. Steadmen, Allan Bailey and Bert W. Lang, three open spots on the budget committee, each three-year terms; Robert Sterns, budget committee, one year; Kris Lepisto, cemetery trustee, three years; Scott Meader, second deputy fire chief, three years; Curtis C. Hopkins, planning board, one year.

No candidate ran or was written in for four seats: a five-year seat as water/sewer commissioner, a three-year seat on the planning board; a one-year position on the budget committee and a three-year seat on the zoning board.

Besides elections, voters approved three amendments to the town’s zoning ordinance.

The approved amendments included one that will add a provision to allow variances to the zoning ordinance in cases where a literal enforcement of the ordinance results in an unnecessary hardship. The provision passed 244-76.

Another amendment, which passed 215-69, requires special exceptions to zoning laws to be exercised within two years from the date of approval, unless they are further extended by the zoning board.

Voters also approved an amendment, 237-79, that will replace the section on co-location of new towers with existing towers with a new paragraph to be in accordance with state law. Co-location or modification applicants will no longer be subject to zoning or land-use requirements, including design or placement requirements, or public hearing review.

Of the town’s 1,312 registered voters, 344, or 26 percent, cast ballots Tuesday.