Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has published the certified results of the Halifax town election last Saturday.  Only 15.3% of Halifax’s 5,557 registered voters came out to cast their ballot with 852 total voters.

While there were few contested seats, R. Steven Hayward won election to the position of Highway Surveyor with 667 votes.  His opponent, Michael J. Schleiff got 168 votes.  There were 14 blanks and three write-ins.

Schleiff was also a candidate for Park Commissioner, but lost to incumbent John D. Campbell.  Campbell won 597 votes to Schleiff’s 182.  There were 72 blanks and one write-in.

Schleiff was also a candidate for Selectman, a position he had formerly held, this time running against incumbent Troy Garron.  Garron won the contest with 627 votes to Schleiff’s 179.  There were two write-ins and 44 blanks recorded.

The Halifax Elementary School Committee was looking for two candidates to be elected, from a field of five.  Alison Vance got the most votes with 456, and second highest vote was Robert W. Johnson with 368.  They will join the school committee at their next meeting.   Alexander J. Meade won 207, Edward J. Bryan tallied 177, and John P. Sexton won 119 votes.  There were 374 ballots that left the contest blank.

John J.R. Shiavone was unopposed in his re-election to the Board of Assessors, winning 670 votes.  Blank were 174 and there were also seven write-ins.

John Delano won re-election to the Board of Health with 645 votes cast for him.  There were 202 blanks and five write-ins.

Paul A. Delaney won election to a two-year term on the Library Board of Trustees.  There were 202 blank and three write-ins.

Ralph W. Goodwin Jr. and Meredith M. Goodwin were elected to two three-year terms on the Library Board of Trustees with 629 votes for Meredith and 587 votes for Ralph.  483 were blank and there were five write-ins.

There were no candidates seeking election to the four-year term on the Halifax Planning Board.  There were 814 left blank and 37 write-ins.  If any are interested in serving, let Town Administrator Charlie Seelig know. 

Gordon R. Andrews was unopposed in his election to the five-year term on the Planning Board, winning 640 votes.  There were 203 blanks and nine write-ins.

Edward W. Desharnais, Jr., won re-election to his seat on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee with 621 votes.  Blank were 227, and there were also four write-ins.

Richard A. Clark was elected to the Board of Water Commissioners with 651 votes.  There were 198 left blank for that contest, and three write-ins.

The town’s vote turning down a debt exclusion to purchase a fire suppression system for the Halifax Elementary School, didn’t matter. The vote at Town Meeting to allow the project to proceed within the town’s budget made the question on the ballot irrelevant.  The ballots were printed weeks in advance, so the question had to appear.  Had Town Meeting turned down the article to finance the school’s sprinkler system through the regular budget, the vote would have been necessary to finance the project.   Halifax Elementary School will have its fire suppression system financed within the town’s regular operating budget.

Courtesy of

Hanson Police

    It was quite a chase early Thursday morning, May 11, as police from Hanson, Pembroke, Hanover, Whitman, Carver, Halifax and Plympton, as well as the Plymouth County Sheriffs finally brought Daniel Egan, 36, of Plymouth, into custody.

    At 1 a.m. Hanson police encountered a 2010 Chevy Malibu heading north on Route 58 at a high rate of speed.  When it failed to stop at the stop sign a Indian Head and Liberty streets, Hanson officers attempted to stop the vehicle which fled north, turning off the vehicle’s lights.

    The Malibu fled to East Washington St., to an area near the Hanover/Pembroke town line.  Officers pursued the vehicle back into Hanson Center, through Winter Street, back onto Route 58, traveling south.

    The Malibu struck a cruiser and attempted to force it off the road in the area of Latham Street.  The cruiser suffered minor damage.  Officers deployed tire deflation deices in the area of Route 58 and 106 causing the vehicle to eventually stop on Route 58 in Halifax.

    Egan fled the scene into a wooded area. Officers attempted to take him into custody but he managed to escape. Eagan then got into and fled in a marked police cruiser.

    Officers from Hanson, Halifax, and Pembroke attempted to stop Eagan as he fled in the cruiser on Route 58 south. Plympton police officers deployed tire deflation devices on Route 58 and disabled the cruiser.

    At approximately 1:15 a.m. the cruiser was stopped at the Plympton/Carver line in front of Tractor Supply. Eagan refused to come out of the vehicle which led to a standoff that lasted approximately 20 minutes.

    Efforts to convince Egan to exit the vehicle were unsuccessful. Officers used bean bag rounds to shoot out the windows of the cruiser. Mr. Egan eventually exited the vehicle and again refused commands to surrender. A K9 from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was used to subdue Mr. Egan. He was transported to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth in the custody of the Hanson Police by Plympton Fire. He suffered an injury to his hand.  He was later transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.

    Egan is being charged with operating to endanger, failure to stop for a police officer, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, assault and battery, larceny of a motor vehicle, and numerous other motor vehicle violations. Bail has been set at $25,000.

    Police Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies on scene showed great restraint and patience during this entire incident, according to Hanson police.

    HPD would like to thank the Whitman, Hanover, Pembroke, Carver, and Plympton Police as well as the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance during this incident.

Townspeople in Halifax will consider 50 articles at Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting, with various issues, ranging from Marijuana Establishments zoning, Marijuana tax, to adding a Foreclosed Properties by-law.

Article 48 asks if the town will amend the Code of the Town of Halifax, Chapter 167 (Zoning) to define marijuana establishments as a marijuana cultivator, marijuana testing facility, marijuana product manufacturer, marijuana retailer or any other type of licensed marijuana-related business, as is defined by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 94H.

This article would allow marijuana establishments by special permit in the Industrial District and will not be allowed within 500 linear feet of any school or child care facility or where children generally congregate, or any other marijuana establishment or any business licensed to pour alcoholic beverages.  The distance will be measured by direct calculation of a straight line from the nearest property line of a facility to the nearest property line of the marijuana establishment.

The hours of operation may not include any time between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Any permit applied for and/or issued for a Marijuana Establishment must  comply with all state laws and regulations concerning Marijuana Establishments.

Article 49 asks to allow the town to tax each sale of marijuana at an amount not more than 2%.

Article 50 would amend the Code of the Town of Halifax by requiring the registration and maintenance of foreclosed properties, and the security of foreclosed properties, to help prevent blighted and unsecured properties.  The article would require that owners must register the property with the Halifax Building Commissioner and if the owner is out-of-state it must appoint an agent within Massachusetts to act in the owner’s stead.

In addition to the usual finances of the town, its employee salaries and department expenses, the town will also be asked to fund

• $205,000 for a large dump truck for the Highway Department

• $50,000 for a security system and other items for the Halifax Elementary School

• $2,000,000 for renovations and addition to Pope’s Tavern Senior Center

• $70,000 for architectural and building plans for repairs to Pope’s Tavern

• $49,000 to purchase and equip a new service truck for the Water Dept.

• $80,000 to purchase and equip two new marked police vehicles

• $16,000 to purchase and equip two new ATVs to be used for patrol

• $5,000 to purchase and maintain communications equipment for the Fire Dept.

• $10,000 for new turnout gear for Fire Dept. personnel

• $280,000 to purchase and equip an ambulance for the Fire Dept.

• $27,145 to replace apparatus bay door openers at the Fire Station

• $9,000 to update the phone system at the Halifax Fire Station

• $10,000 to purchase IV pumps for the Halifax Fire Department

• $12,500 to repair chimneys at the Museum of Halifax, Old School House, Blacksmith’s Shop, and Pope’s Tavern

• $7,000 to replace light fixtures at the Town Hall with LED fixtures and wiring over the next two years.

• $9,500 to replace two furnaces as part of completing phase 2 of the furnace replacement at the Town Hall

• $7,200 to replace the Recycling Center’s two rear garage doors with new hardware motors, one section of panel with glass windows, and the other three sections with insulated solid panels

• $12.000 for the Assessors’ Triennial Revaluation Account

• $7,500 for additional hours for the Conservation Commission Secretary for wetlands protection work

• $5,000 for improvements to the town’s boat ramp

• $6,500 to refurbish the doors and replace the lock system at the Halifax Town Hall

• $28,100 for new computer servers at the Halifax Town Hll

• $3,500 to support South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.’s free legal services to elders, low-income families and their children

• $3,500 to support South Shore Women’s Resource Center for domestic violence intervention and prevention services

• $70,000 for the second year principal payment of the water tower painting and repair debt and $5,989 for the second year of interest on the same debt

Town meeting warrant will also be asked to

• vote to accept  Bourne Drive and Danson Road

• vote to accept Heron Road

• vote to revise the listing of delinquent taxpayers

• vote to amend the Streets and Sidewalks section of the Code of the Town.

PLYMPTON – There are not many candidates to populate this year’s local election, according to Town Clerk Tara Shaw.   

With election on Saturday, May 20, the ballot has a lot of empty spaces.

No candidate seems willing to run for selectman, finance committee (3-year term) or planning board.   There are also no contests on the ballot that currently shows the following, unless any candidate withdraws before the April 20 deadline:

Assessor – 1 position:  Ethan Stiles for a three-year term, candidate for re-election.

Board of Health – 1 position: Brad Cronin, for a 3 – year term.

Constable – two positions: David E. Smith, candidate for re-election and Douglas Reese, both three-year terms.

Finance Committee – two positions for three-year terms: Lisa Hart, candidate for re-election is the only candidate.

Finance Committee – one position for a two year term: Steven Lewis is the only candidate.

Library Trustee – two positions for three-year terms: Louise Cosato is the only candidate.

Planning Board – one position for a five-year term: there are no candidates.

School Committee, Dennett Elementary School – two positions for three-year terms: Jason Fraser and Jon Wilhelmsen, both candidates for re-election.

Selectman – one position for a three-year term: there are no candidates.

Silver Lake Regional School Committee – one position for a three year term: Jason Fraser, candidate for re-election.

If any registered voter in Plympton would like to mount a write-in campaign for any position on the ballot, the Town Clerk’s office has all of the rules a candidate needs to follow in order for the election to be official.

PLYMPTON – The town breathed a collective sigh of relief when the follow-up “robocall” came to Plympton residents at 12:07 p.m. on Tuesday that the missing teens had been found and were safe.

At 11:05 p.m. Monday night, Plympton Police put out an automatic call to all Plympton residents:  “We are currently searching for a missing teenager, Sydney Adams, white female, approximately 5’4”, 120 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing black pants and a white sweatshirt with “TEXAS” across the front.   She was last seen with a Donald Johnson, 14, from Kingston.  Any information on her whereabouts, please immediately contact the Plympton Police Department at 781-585-3339.”

Kim Adams, Sydney’s mother, also posted photos and messages requesting help on the Plympton Facebook page, bringing the community into the search.  The response was overwhelming.   “It takes a village…” was the recurring theme once the news was announced that the two were safe.

When the phone rings late at night, it isn’t usually good news, and the missing teenagers were on everyone’s mind.  The first thing said among friends and neighbors Tuesday morning was, “Have they found them yet?”

Adams posted her thanks to all who helped.

Plympton Police issued the following statement:,

“The Plympton Police Department is happy to announce that both Sydney Adams and Donald Johnson have been located.  Both are safe and have been transported to area hospitals, as a precaution, for evaluation.  We would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police, Kingston Police, Pembroke Police, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department and SEMLEC Search & Rescue for their assistance in the matter.  We would like to thank the Plympton Fire Department with their assistance this morning.  We would finally like to thank the many members of the community that assisted in the search and the numerous telephone calls we received from concerned citizens with tips.”