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The most closely watched race on the ballot was the contest for two open seats on the East Bridgewater School Committee for a three-year term. Crystal L. Hudson finished as the top vote-getter, capturing 497 votes with strong support distributed evenly across all four precincts. Joining her in securing a seat is Ellen K. Pennington, who received 298 votes. Dennis Scott Jones, Jr. finished third with 262 votes, missing out on a seat on the committee. For the shorter, two-year School Committee term, Leslie J. McDonough ran unopposed and secured 441 votes. A one-year vacancy on the School Committee drew 70 write-in votes against 623 blanks, leaving the final outcome to a hand-count of write-in candidates.

In the Planning Board race, five candidates competed for three available seats. Stephen Patrick Perkins led the field with 394 votes. Gerard P. Adams placed second with 370 votes, and Diane CW Phillipps claimed the final open seat with 331 votes. Candidates Rachel Gorn Tedesco (290 votes) and Roy E. Gardner (269 votes) fell short of the threshold required to join the board.

Incumbents and unopposed candidates saw a smooth path to victory across other municipal offices. Incumbent Select Board member Peter Spagone, Jr. earned 480 votes to maintain his seat on the board. Robert Thomas Looney won another term as Town Moderator with 478 votes. Susan A. Mulloy was elected to the Assessor’s office with 491 votes , and Andrew L. Hudson won the single open seat on the Board of Health with 486 votes. In the race for Trustees of the Public Library, where two seats were open, Ashley M. Ware (421 votes) and Victoria Panora (418 votes) easily outpaced a scattering of 4 write-in votes. Finally, the open seat on the Housing Authority yielded 65 write-in votes, which will determine the winner once officially tallied.

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Official Election Tallies

Key Race Outcomes

• Town Moderator (1 Seat): Robert Thomas Looney won with 478 votes ; write-ins received 27 votes ; there were 188 blank ballots.

• Select Board (1 Seat): Peter Spagone, Jr. won with 480 votes ; write-ins received 16 votes ; there were 197 blank ballots.

• Assessor (1 Seat): Susan A. Mulloy won with 491 votes ; write-ins received 5 votes ; there were 197 blank ballots.

• School Committee (3-Year Term, 2 Seats): Crystal L. Hudson (497 votes) and Ellen K. Pennington (298 votes) were elected; Dennis Scott Jones, Jr. received 262 votes ; write-ins received 8 votes ; there were 321 blank slots.

• School Committee (2-Year Term, 1 Seat): Leslie J. McDonough won with 441 votes ; write-ins received 4 votes ; there were 248 blank ballots.

• School Committee (1-Year Term, 1 Seat): Write-in options received 70 votes ; there were 623 blank ballots.

• Trustees of Public Library (2 Seats): Ashley M. Ware (421 votes) and Victoria Panora (418 votes) were elected ; write-ins received 4 votes ; there were 543 blank slots.

• Board of Health (1 Seat): Andrew L. Hudson won with 486 votes ; write-ins received 3 votes ; there were 204 blank ballots.

• Planning Board (3 Seats): Stephen Patrick Perkins (394 votes), Gerard P. Adams (370 votes), and Diane CW Phillipps (331 votes) were elected; Rachel Gorn Tedesco received 290 votes; Roy E. Gardner received 269 votes ; write-ins received 3 votes ; there were 422 blank slots.

• Housing Authority (1 Seat): Write-in options received 65 votes ; there were 628 blank ballots.

Source Document: East Bridgewater Unofficial Town Election Results (May 16, 2026)

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The meeting, held at the Junior/Senior High School, was standing-room-only as residents gathered to address 20 Annual Town Meeting articles and eight Special Town Meeting articles. Town Moderator Robert Looney, marking 22 years in the role, presided over the session, which immediately pivoted from routine financial transfers to the town’s ongoing struggle with the Massachusetts “3A” zoning requirements.

The “Main Event”: Article 6 Defeat

The most contentious issue was Article 6, the proposed North Bedford Street Housing Overlay District (NBSHOD). The district aimed to bring the town into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act by allowing multi-family housing as-of-right on approximately 116 acres. Despite the Planning Board’s unanimous recommendation and warnings from the Finance Committee regarding potential litigation and the loss of discretionary state grants, voters defeated the measure in a lopsided hand count of 149 in favor and 220 opposed. This marks the third time the town has rejected the mandate.

Zoning and State Mandates

While voters rejected the MBTA overlay, they did approve Article 17, which updates the town’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaws. Planning Board Chairman Kevin Reilly explained that the update was necessary because the Attorney General refused to approve a version that limited ADUs to a single residential zone. The vote initially passed but was subjected to a formal recount after more than 10 residents stood to challenge the voice vote; the recount confirmed the passage with 192 in favor and 125 opposed.

Conversely, Article 18, which sought to rezone several B-4 business districts to B-2 districts to allow for smaller-scale business and residential mixes, was defeated. Opponents argued the change was “deceptive” and would open the door to unwanted high-density housing developments.

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In a procedural “meeting before the meeting,” Moderator Robert “Bob” Looney led the Select Board through a line-by-line review of the Special and Annual Town Meeting warrants. The primary focus of the evening was Article 6 of the Annual Town Meeting, which seeks to bring the town into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act—a state law requiring multi-family zoning districts near transit stations. [10:13]

East Bridgewater is currently one of several towns being sued by Attorney General Andrea Campbell for failing to meet the July 2025 deadline. Despite two previous rejections by voters, the town is bringing a revised 13-page article and map to the floor. [11:15] Town Administrator Charlie Seelig informed the board that the administration does not plan to use a slide deck or formal presentation this time, believing that the community’s familiarity with the topic is already high. [11:35]

“We’re not planning on a formal presentation at all. I think the belief is that for most people who are going to be at this town meeting, they have sufficient knowledge—maybe erroneously, but whatever they’ve got—they’re ready to vote.” [11:35] — Town Administrator Charlie Seelig

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The primary focus of Tuesday’s session was the necessary adjustment of the district’s financial roadmap for the 2027 fiscal year. John Shea, Director of Business Administration, presented a revised budget worksheet that accounted for several shifts in expenses and revenue since the initial certification. [05:20]

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The meeting opened with a marathon public hearing featuring seven local establishments applying for full liquor or expanded beer and wine licenses. The applications come in response to the state granting the town additional licenses aimed at boosting economic development. Applicants included Crocetti's Oakdale Packing, Sophie’s Italian Food, One Stop Food Mart, Country Convenience, Tritown Express, Joppa Market, and T-Square.

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Editors note: South Shore News is going paid in April, subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss a story. Reach out for group or organizational pricing.

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During a public hearing on March 17, Superintendent Dr. Gina Williams and Director of Business Administration John Shea detailed a complex financial balancing act for the upcoming school year. To achieve a budget that matches the current $27,769,488 appropriation, the district must offset $457,256 in “level-service” increases—the costs required simply to maintain the status quo. [14:10]

“We were definitely looking at a strategic way to work collaboratively with the town knowing that there are fiscal restraints, but also avoiding any direct layoffs of staff.” [15:00] — Dr. Gina Williams, Superintendent

The primary drivers of these costs are common across the South Shore: health insurance is projected to rise between 8% and 12%, and the town’s pension obligation to the Plymouth County Retirement Fund is jumping by $324,000, a 7% increase. [07:24] Most significantly, out-of-district special education tuitions have surged by over $1 million since 2024. [07:46]

To bridge this gap without cutting existing programs, the district is banking on a strategy of “strategic attrition.” This includes not replacing four retiring teachers—one at Central School and three at the Mitchell School (including one special education teacher). [16:42] Consequently, class sizes in affected grades are expected to rise from the current 18–20 students to approximately 20–22 students. [17:10]

Other savings will come from moving the funding of four lunchroom monitors to the food service revolving account and continuing a contracted model for a school psychologist position that the district has been unable to fill with a permanent candidate. [15:45]

Despite these constraints, John Shea highlighted that East Bridgewater continues to operate efficiently compared to its neighbors. The district’s per-pupil expenditure of $17,593 sits higher than Abington and West Bridgewater but remains significantly lower than the state average and towns like Pembroke and Norton. [10:32] “In fiscal year 24, we were the 48th lowest per-pupil expenditure in the state,” Shea noted, pointing out that while this is an improvement from being 2nd lowest a few years ago, the district remains in the bottom tier of state funding. [10:54]

Looking ahead, the district is also prioritizing several capital projects, most notably a critical firewall replacement for the school’s network, as the current system reaches its “end of life” in August. [18:41] Other planned improvements include an ADA-accessible bathroom for the Mitchell School nurse’s office and the installation of a French drain to address persistent leaking on the fourth-grade side of the Mitchell building. [20:00]

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Why It Matters

For East Bridgewater residents, the proposal represents a significant effort to stabilize the tax burden by requesting $0 in additional operating funds for the schools next year. However, this “level-funding” is not without impact; parents should prepare for slightly larger class sizes in elementary and middle grades. The district is also signaling a “plateau” in special education costs, hoping that as students age out of expensive out-of-district programs by 2028, the town will see a more sustainable financial path forward. [13:33]

Official Minutes & Data

Key Motions & Votes

• Motion: To wave the first reading of several policy updates (Sections J and K) and move to a final vote. [28:20]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([28:30])

• Motion: To approve edits to school policies and the addition of policy LBC (Relations with Nonpublic Schools). [29:08]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([29:35])

• Motion: To reappoint Dr. Gina Williams as the district representative to the READS Collaborative Board of Directors for 2026-2027. [29:41]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([30:00])

Public Comment

No residents registered for or offered public comment during the budget hearing phase of the meeting. [22:20]

What’s Next

The School Committee will continue to discuss the budget until the annual Town Meeting. The East Bridgewater High School drama department will perform Descendants this Thursday and Friday nights, and the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast will take place this Sunday at the Mitchell School from 7:00 a.m. to noon. [30:14]

Source Video: EBCAM - East Bridgewater Community Access Media

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Following executi…

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The approval enables the district to finance its share of the project, which aims to provide a new, state-of-the-art, and…

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The Special Town Meeting moved efficiently through 22 warrant articles Monday evening, wi…

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