Steady Traffic at Town Hall Polling Station

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
May 7th 2024

RICHMOND – After months of debate, and considerable social media misinformation, voters in Richmond headed to the Town Hall to vote in the Chariho bond referendum.

Along with residents of Hopkinton and Charlestown, they were deciding the fate of the proposed bond, up to $150 million, to replace the school district’s four elementary schools with three new school buildings.

That “school consolidation” plan would entail closing Hope Valley Elementary School, a move opposed by Hopkinton residents.

The Scene at the Town Hall

There was light but steady voter traffic on Tuesday morning at the Town Hall polling station. Two groups, one supporting the bond and the other opposed, stood in the grass behind the parking lot, respecting  the legally-required distance from the poll.

On one side, was Jessica Purcell, Richmond School Committee member and pro-bond campaigner who has devoted countless hours to explaining the bond and why voters should support it.

Purcell said she interpreted the steady voter traffic as a good sign.

“It's a beautiful day at the polls, not just because of the sunny warm weather but because there seems to be a steady stream of voters, including both of my children's teachers who crossed the street to vote this morning,” she said. “I just can't express how much I appreciate our schools and want the best for these kids, and the next generation. I walk through those hallways and attend Chariho events on a regular basis, and the sense of community is inspiring. It drives me to work hard in service of the public good that a Chariho education provides not just to students but to our towns as well.” 

With a sick child at home and her regular job to attend to, Purcell said she would be heading home soon and another bond supporter, Joyce Flanagan, would be replacing her.

“I've actually got one kid at home with strep today, along with work obligations so I can't stay all day but I'm grateful to everyone that engaged in this important conversation about the future of our school buildings and voted for what they think is best. Regardless of the outcome, I've done my best to engage and inform folks, I remain hopeful, and I know that the work is never done,” she said.

Across the lawn, several bond opponents stood, holding signs.

Rhonda Wasilewski said voters had not paused to talk after voting.

“Not, really,” she said. “A few people gave the thumbs up, so I assume they were voting no.”

Goldie Williams, carrying a sign, joined the group.

“This school doesn’t need to be done,” she said, gesturing toward Richmond Elementary School across the road. “The roof was done three to five years ago, not done right, according to Mr. [Ned] Draper. … And, we’ll be paying more taxes than we would be paying if we just did the repair.”

Tom Marron said he had many reasons for opposing the bond.

“It’s fiscally irresponsible,” he said. “The whole campaign has been nefarious. They’ve been pushing this whole thing without answering questions, without providing data. The data has been misleading. It’s a scam.”

Janet Tefft was the fourth member of the opposition group.

“I’m here to support the Republicans who are trying to get the town to follow even the proposed budgets that are put out,” she said. “An example would be, the state says the town has to contribute 10% a year to the maintenance of buildings and if you look at what was spent versus what should have been budgeted, the two are even half of what should have been spent, yet you have the superintendent crying, ‘we need drainage systems. The rain is coming into these buildings,’ and  what is the reason? You’ve only spent half the budgeted money on repairs. … A choice has been made to let these schools go down, and then, they want new schools.”

The Vote

Early voting began on April 17 and ended May 6. In order for the bond to pass, voters in each of the three towns must approve it. This change, proposed by Hopkinton School Committee member Tyler Champlin, was approved by the School Committee in a unanimous vote at the Jan. 9, 2024 committee meeting.