LYME — Voters decided to keep the positions of tax collector, treasurer and overseer of public welfare as elected roles, instead of changing them to appointed as recommended by the Selectboard, during the floor portion of Town Meeting.
During all-day Australian ballot voting, incumbent Ben Kilham was reelected to a three-year term on the town’s Selectboard. Marci O’Keefe bested Stephen Castellani for a three-year term as tax collector by a vote of 212-133. On the school side, Jim Komarmi received 303 votes and write-in candidate Jonathan Voegle received 50 votes for two three-year terms on the school board.
In other Town Meeting news, Kathy Sherrieb was recognized as Lyme Citizen of the Year during the floor meeting.
Sherrieb was the driving force behind the Lyme Food Pantry, which got off the ground at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pantry provides fresh vegetables and nonperishable foods once a week at the Lyme Congregational Church to about 15 households. Many of the recipients are older people on fixed incomes. Pantry volunteers also make deliveries.
“It’s filling a need,” said Sherrieb, who has lived in Lyme since 1997.
She’s unsure if the pantry will continue to operate once the pandemic eases. “That’s up to the community,” she said, “but right now people keep coming.”
The annual award, presented by the Lyme Foundation, honors “ordinary people doing extraordinary work” while they “inspire others through their dedication and often quiet service,” according to the Town Report.