Updated Numbers in Greylock School Vote

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The unofficial numbers for the school project debt exclusion vote have ticked up just a tad.  
 
They now stand at 1,450 yes to 1,315 no, a difference of 135 votes. 
 
A handful of provisional ballots are still to be confirmed but not enough to make any difference in the results. 
 
The turnout was 2,766 of the city's 9,872 registered voters, or 28 percent. City Clerk Tina Marie Leonesio said she was very happy with the numbers, noting the primaries lackluster showing of 12 percent. 
 
Unofficial Results
  YES NO BLANKS TOTAL VOTERS PERCENT
WARD 1 280 336 0 616 2,040 30.20
WARD 2 269 243   513 2,045 25.09
WARD 3 217 187 0 404 1,664 24.28
WARD 4 406 298 0 704 2,107 33.41
WARD 5 278 251 0 529 2,016 26.24
  1,450 1,315 1 2,766 9,872 28.03
The narrow vote hearkens to a similar contentious debate back in 2013 over borrowing for the $30 million Colegrove Park school project. That passed by only 137 votes with 2,645 ballots cast. 
 
This week's vote saw 98 voters coming in to the clerk's office for early voting, compared to 11 in last month's primary. Leonesio said 1,540 ballots were mailed by request with a return of about 69 percent. 
 
There had been questions about signatures and inactive voters. The clerk said some ballots were returned without signatures on the outside envelope, less than one percent, and efforts were made to have these confirmed but some voters did not respond. 
 
Those who did not submit their city census forms so were removed to the "inactive" list in June. They were able to vote Tuesday by confirming their identity at the polls. That table had been quite busy and more staffing is expected for the coming general election. 
 
iBerkshires committed an error in updating on the election by referring to a "recount." This was incorrect and the problem was actually a tape calculator that was acting up, causing the number to be off. Another calculator was put into service and the numbers matched up. iBerkshires regrets the error. 
 
A few "no" voters referenced "irregularities" but Lenoesio said there was nothing out of the ordinary.  
 
The polls were busy and staff were aware of importance of the outcome. 
 
"We were double-checking, triple-checking, ensuring the process was what it needed to be," she said. "The integrity of the election is what matters to us."
 
Voters are encouraged to double-check their registration status online at the secretary of state's website or by contacting the city clerk's office prior to the general election. 
 

Tags: brayton/greylock project,   debt exclusion,   

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Navigators Hand SteepleCats Sixth Straight Loss

By Ben McDonoughFor iBerkshires.com
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Shore Navigators capitalized on aggressive baserunning and timely hitting Friday night, defeating the North Adams SteepleCats 13-4 at Joe Wolfe Field and dropping the Cats to 0-6 on the young NECBL season.
 
The Navigators struck first in the opening inning against North Adams starter Garrett Gates. Michael Brown opened the game by reaching after being hit by a pitch before Hunter Kingsbury followed with an infield single. After a double steal moved both runners into scoring position, Gates recorded his first strikeout of the season by retiring Jay Slater. North Shore quickly responded, however, as Grant Hunter lined a two-run double into the gap to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
 
North Adams threatened in the bottom of the first. Bobby Stang singled and stole second while Evan Meier worked a walk, but North Shore starter John Hegarty escaped the inning without allowing a run.
 
Gates settled in during the second inning, striking out Luke Johnson and working around a two-out double by Tyler Shulman to post a scoreless frame. He added two more strikeouts in the third, but Slater connected for a solo home run over the left-field fence to extend the Navigators' lead to 3-0. Gates recovered by picking off Simmi Whitehill after a single and later struck out Hunter to end the inning.
 
The SteepleCats broke through in the bottom of the third. Alex Barrist reached base and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error before Nelphie Lopez worked a walk. A wild pitch moved both runners up, and after Evan Meier battled back from a 1-2 count to draw another walk, Tony Woodie delivered North Adams' biggest hit of the night. His two-run ground-rule double brought home Barrist and Lopez, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
 
North Shore answered immediately in the fourth. After Steven Sams entered in relief, the Navigators used a combination of walks, stolen bases, wild pitches and defensive miscues to plate three runs and stretch the lead to 6-2.
 
The game began to slip away in the fifth. Grant Hunter opened the inning with a single before the Navigators loaded the bases. Daniel Leikus delivered a bases-clearing double to right field, helping North Shore push four more runs across the plate. Jake Foster eventually entered to stop the rally, but the damage had been done as the Navigators moved comfortably in front.
 
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