Incumbents win in Townsend council election
By Rebecca Henely
Staff Reporter
rebecca@middletowntranscript.com

            Townsend councilmembers Dave Raughley and Sandra Wyatt will take their places at the front of the Townsend Mayor and Council meetings for another two years.
            According to the unofficial vote count, both incumbents won with 39 votes each at the 2008 Townsend election held May 3. The challengers, former councilmember Jay Miller and Brook Ramble Lane resident Rich Emrick, received 35 and 32 votes, respectively.
            “I’m glad to be around to help out,” Wyatt said of her win. “Not that I would have totally disappeared to begin with.”
            According to Cathy Beaver, administrative assistant for the Town of Townsend, 77 people voted in the election with 145 votes cast. Nine of the people voting did so for one candidate only.
            “It was a close race,” Miller said. “One of the closest I’ve ever seen.”
            Raughley said he was not surprised by the closeness of the race, and said the other candidates worked hard to get their votes.
            “I would have liked to see more people voting,” he said.
            Wyatt said she hopes to continue with her plans to complete the Townsend Village I Municipal Park, have a community center in Townsend and hold more community events. She said she also hopes she can change the minds of those who did not vote for her.
            “This is as far as I’m going in my political career,” she said. “It’s fun enough.”
            Raughley also said he wanted to continue the park construction, community center, community programs for children and seniors and the Main Street streetscape. He also wanted to continue work with Middletown and Odessa.
            Miller said he was surprised by the results, as he had received a lot of positive feedback.
            “If that’s what the town wanted, that’s what they wanted,” he said.
            Emrick said he felt he did better than expected.
            “I consider myself an underdog already,” he said, adding he was the only candidate who had never been on council before and only lived in the town for two years.
            He said he hopes the council will reconsider some parts of the charter, particularly the election of mayor by the councilmembers.
            “I’m still going to go to the meetings and I’m still going to be one of the vocal ones at the meetings,” Emrick said.
            The winners will be sworn in and the mayor will be elected in the Wednesday, June 4, Town of Townsend Mayor and Council meeting.