10 April, 2011
Ken Weismantel, Chairman of the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee announced the official results of the Republican Caucus for the upcoming May elections.
“I am very pleased with the experience level and number of the local candidates that the Hopkinton Republican Party is supporting for May 16th election," said Weismantel. "We nominated 13 candidates. Five candidates are running as incumbents. An additional three candidates have previously held the position that they are running for now. All but two of our candidates have held elected or appointed positions in Hopkinton. And the two new candidates have served in other volunteer capacities.”
It appears that only two important positions will be contested in the May election- Selectman and School Committee.
Brian Herr was nominated by the caucus for Selectman after Planning Board member Dick MacDonald had to withdraw from the race. Herr was previously elected to the Board of Selectmen and was Chairman for two years. Last year he did not run for reelection because he was a candidate for US Congress. He previously was a member of the Planning Board and the Personnel Committee.
“Brian Herr has an outstanding record of public service and I am very pleased that he is heading the Republican slate,” said Weismantel.
Scott Aghababian and Nancy Burdick are running for two positions on the School Committee. Aghababian is a former member of the Planning Board. Burdick currently serves on the School Committee and is a troop leader for the Girl Scouts.
Ken Driscoll and Brian Eberlin are running for the Parks and Recreation Commission. Driscoll is the current commission chairman and is running for re-election. Driscoll headed the Hopkinton Basketball Association and is a member of the Downtown Revitalization Committee. Eberlin was previously elected to the commission and has volunteered with the Youth Commission.
Mark Gates is running as the incumbent for the Board of Health. Claire Wright is running as the incumbent for the Cemetery Commission. Deborah Kollmeyer previously served on the Housing Authority and is running again for this board.
Claire Wright and Brian Karp are running for two positions on the Planning Board. Wright is running as the incumbent. She serves on several committees for the town including the Historical Commission, Design Review Board, and Cemetery Commission. Karp is currently a member of the Zoning Advisory Committee and is a Girl Scout troop leader. Christian Ollenborger, a new comer to Hopkinton and volunteer in Big Brothers Big Sisters, is running for the unexpired term on the Planning Board.
Leda Arakelian and June Harris are running for the newly created Board of Library Trustees. Arakelian is well known for her many volunteer activities within Hopkinton. Harris was a member of the previous library building committee.
The Republican caucus which was open to both registered Republicans and unenrolled voters had a large turnout compared to recent years due the number of candidates and the interest in the Selectman and School Committee races.
The Hopkinton Republican Town Committee actively supports our nominated candidates with signs, donations, campaign volunteers and mentoring. The HRTC is actively involved in the recruitment of volunteers for town government positions. If you would like to become an Associate Member of the Hopkinton Republican Town Commmittee, contact Ken Weismantel at ken@weismantel.com .
