The virtual Plympton School Committee meeting on Monday, April 27 began with a public hearing and vote on school choice. No one was in attendance from the public that wished to speak on the matter. Vice Chair Jason Fraser made a motion not to accept school choice for the 2020-2021 school year beyond extending it to the students currently enrolled through the program. Chair Jon Wilhelmsen also pointed out that the incoming Kindergarten class was a large one, by Plympton standards. Wilhelmsen also cited the uncertainty surrounding the budget as yet another reason he was opposed to school choice. The motion not to accept school choice for the upcoming year passed unanimously.

Fraser, who currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Board of Directors and is the Division III (southeastern) Chair, has volunteered to serve as secretary/treasurer on the MASC Executive Board. Wilhelmsen made a motion to show the Plympton School Committee’s support for Fraser. “I think not only will MASC benefit greatly from Jason’s expertise, but it also allows our school and our district a persistent voice up at that level and I think that is something that is beneficial to us,” Wilhelmsen said. “Thank you very much for your kind words and I want to acknowledge the support of the Committee and the administrators,” Fraser said. The vote is scheduled for June 23. “Regardless of if I’m nominated to that position by the MASC Nominating Board, I will continue in my role as an officer at the very least and continue to fly the flag of Plympton and Silver Lake at the state and federal level,” Fraser said.

Wilhelmsen said that the two positions coming due on the School Committee are those belonging to himself and Fraser. Both will remain on the Committee until the elections are held.

Fraser said he was in touch with the townhouse regarding pulling papers. He said that regardless of their answer his intention is to run for both seats he holds currently (Plympton School Committee and Silver Lake Regional). “I think that now more than ever it is important for us to have some history and some continuity on the Committee to make sure that we can guide our town through this unchartered territory,” Fraser explained.

Wilhelmsen led the discussion on the budget for fiscal year 2021. The Finance Committee recommended that the special education stabilization fund of $1,000, the quinquennial cistern inspection and cleaning in the amount of $5,000, and a group of technology expenses totaling roughly $21,000 would best be handled as articles at the special town meeting.

Those articles have been drafted and provided to the town. It was further decided that curriculum expenses totaling $15,500 for social studies grades 3 and 6 and math resources would best be handled within the budget. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said she would tweak the budget per those recommendations. Healy also said that there is a savings of $12,000 as a result of the new bus contract.

Wilhelmsen said he is having regular discussions with Town Hall and mentioned that the warrant could potentially be stripped down to essential items only such as the budget.

“We’re pretty well insulated at the local level for receipts because most of our income  at a local level comes from property taxes but we do receive a substantial amount of funds from the state level and right now at FY20, which ends on June 30, they’re predicating between a $300 and $700 million deficit for this year,” Fraser explained.

“The Governor has given his word that he does not plan on doing any 9C cuts to this year and will pull from the rainy-day fund to supplement the budget if necessary,” he continued.

Fraser said that things are more unclear for the FY21 budget at the state level. Last year’s budget was $44 billion dollars at the state level and, according to Fraser, “there are numbers right now floating around… the most conservative number I’ve heard is a $2 billion shortfall compared to the $44 billion dollar budget at the state level but I’m hearing some people on the fringes using numbers much, much larger than that.”

With the House 1 budget thrown out, Fraser said that the state doesn’t believe they will have numbers for municipalities to work from until early May at the earliest. Fraser said that a lot of towns and regional schools are looking to going to a 1/12 budget as a result.

“Regardless of where we end up, we could be looking at a 2-4% decrease in state aide or it could be much, much more dire than that,” Fraser said. Plympton’s school likely won’t benefit from the CARES Act passed at the federal level.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto was unable to attend the meeting so Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update in his stead.

Proulx said that according to Veneto, the vast majority of families are working really hard with teachers to make remote learning successful. She also said that Veneto has been meeting weekly with the special education team, response to intervention groups, as well as each individual grade level. Proulx said, “he gives all the credit in the world to his teachers for their efforts and dedication.”

Proulx spoke on the survey that was sent to staff, secondary students, and parents to gauge how the remote learning was working.

“We would like to begin by thanking our school committee, our students, our parents, and our staff for their patience and their assistance in helping us through this transition. It has truly been a team effort and we cannot thank you enough for your support and your kindness and your teamwork throughout all of this,” Proulx said.

Key takeaways from the survey include working with the staff to streamline communications and make sure that the district is using best practices for remote learning, as well as continuing to revisit and revise as needed. Proulx said that they will also be incorporating updated guidance from the state into their remote learning plan.

A second set of surveys will be sent out in mid-May. Proulx also said that another item being looked at right now by the administration is reentry; both what that will look like as well as what expenses may be related to it.

“I just wanted to say how appreciative I was of the surveys that you put out…I shared out some of the data that we received and other communities all around us on the South Shore asked if they could have your surveys…. I’m very thankful to hear that you’re going to do a second round to continue that two-way dialogue,” Fraser said to Proulx.

Wilhelmsen praised a video that was created by teachers and other staff members at Dennett Elementary to reach out to their students.

He said the video was noticed even outside of the district. He described it saying it was, “what the kids needed at that point, just to be able to see everyone… it was very well done.”

There was a virtual, joint meeting between Silver Lake Regional School Committee and Union 31 on Thursday, April 23 to discuss the remote learning program that has been instituted district-wide in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. Representatives were there from each of the three towns’ school committees.

Superintendent Jill Proulx led the presentation on remote learning. A survey was sent out to secondary students (grades 7-12), staff, and parents to gather information on the first few weeks of remote learning. Proulx said that herself and Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch were looking for trends in the data from the survey. Seventy-five percent of the staff completed the survey with 826 responses received overall.

Proulx said that overall the staff feels supported but face challenges such as monitoring the progress of their students in addition to simply missing their students. The range of responses were also varied with some parents and students eager for new material while others felt otherwise. Lynch said that when asked if they would be able to move forward independently if their teacher were to introduce new content, 47 percent of students responded yes. About one-third of those surveyed said they would not be able to do so without additional support. Lynch pointed out that students surveyed reported the workloads to be heavier than their parents who were also surveyed. Students surveyed said that the work veered toward the too much side of things. Most parents were clustered somewhere in the middle between too much and too little. Many parents also expressed frustration with working from home while also supporting their child regardless of their age. Additionally, many older students are now working more hours, largely in grocery stores, and are feeling overwhelmed trying to maintain both a job and their schoolwork. Proulx noted that the students who responded did so appropriately and thoughtfully.

According to Proulx and Lynch, the qualitative data from the survey showed that there should be a focus placed on consistency in both communication and expectations. Proulx and Lynch also met virtually with all building principals to get a sense of what’s working in order to expand upon it and make it consistent for all schools in the district.

The Silver Lake leadership is also working on answering frequently asked questions and distributing sample schedules. All groups surveyed will be surveyed once again in about three weeks. Proulx said their biggest concern is trying to meet the needs of all the children.

Proulx also said that the Department of Education would likely be providing additional recommendations about remote learning by early next week that could include some summer school guidance. According to Proulx, Silver Lake will be waiting for further guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) before making any big changes to their distance learning program.

Some Committee members asked questions of Proulx including how the district is addressing students who are either not participating or participating at lower levels. Proulx said that first steps include the teacher reaching out and if that fails, a counselor or principal attempts to make contact. As a last resort, the school resource officer is sent out to do a wellness check. Committee members also wanted to know if the goal of remote education was to prevent regression or to continue to educate. Proulx said that a major focus was preventing regression adding, “I think one of the things we continue to struggle with is to what extent new material should be introduced and how to introduce new material.”

Another question was in regard to how teachers were expected to be educating. Proulx said that teachers should explain things verbally and visually to whatever extent they can in the given environment rather than just posting a list of assignments. “In some respects, it is like we are all first-year teachers again, but good teaching remains good teaching,” Proulx explained. Proulx also emphasized that if something is not working for a parent or student, that issue is best communicated directly to the teacher as they are best equipped to make a quick adjustment.

Following Proulx’s presentation the Committee members engaged in some debate about the level of structure that needs to be applied to the remote learning program. Some on the Committee felt that the expectations for the students should be elevated with students being “in class” online at regular times, particularly for those in grades 7-12.

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill said that as an educator and mother to three young children she sympathizes with the difficulties such a strict schedule would impose on teachers and other working parents. Gill emphasized the importance of both flexibility and mental health.

Committee member Gordon Andrews, who said his wife works at a private school, said that he would also like to see some more structure in the form of a daily plan for all students but said that he understood Gill’s take. Kingston School Committee member Jeanne Coleman said flexibility is key and stressed the importance of keeping the parents’ and students’ mental health in mind. Coleman said that she allows her ten-year-old to sleep in so that she can finish her younger children’s schoolwork earlier. Proulx said, “I would just comment that we do have different needs across the district; as you can see, we do need to be flexible.”

Silver Lake Regional Committee Chair Jason Fraser said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) has started compiling things that are working for various school districts and sharing them. Fraser, who is on the Board of Directors for MASC, said that while on a call with many other school committees, none were claiming to have this all figured out yet. A motion was made and voted through to support Fraser in his bid to become secretary of the MASC.

Committee member Jon Wilhelmsen asked Proulx what would happen if the pandemic continued into the Fall. Proulx acknowledged the possibility of a second wave of the virus and the need for social distancing and said that she feels that the things transpiring now would better prepare the district to handle remote learning, etc. should it come to that again.

Proulx was also asked if parents or students would be able to pick up personal items from the buildings. Proulx said that doing so now would not be safe as any additional people in the building increases both contact and potential exposure. If an essential item has been left behind, Proulx recommended contacting the building principal.

Fraser touched on the budget toward the end of the meeting acknowledging that everything is up in the air at this juncture. “Things need to happen, but we need to move with information not conjecture,” Fraser explained. Fraser acknowledged that staffing cuts would likely have to be made and Regional Committee Vice Chair Eric Crone agreed saying that many districts have already had to make cuts and furloughs. “There’s a pretty significant chance that we are going to have to cut deep,” Fraser said.

In the only non COVID-19 related business of the night, Director of Business Services Christine Healy gave an update on the new bus contract. The current bus contract is set to end on June 30, 2020. Healy said that atop the priority list for the new contract were newer buses, additional cameras, updated safety equipment, and an enhanced radio system and routing software. Healy said that she had 8 inquiries to her bid with one response back. The new contract would be a five-year contract with two one-year extensions. There would be a four percent increase year one, a two and a half percent increase years two through five, and a four and a half percent increase after that. There will be 33 buses with five 2019 buses and 28 2016 buses. All buses will be equipped with at least two cameras.

The Committee voted to approve the bus contract.

State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) announces that the House of Representatives recently passed legislation to set a moratorium on most residential and commercial evictions and residential foreclosures during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, and for 30 days after it ends.

The legislation includes the following provisions.

• It establishes a moratorium on most residential and commercial evictions within the Commonwealth for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency ends.

• Landlords may not charge late fees or send reports to credit rating agencies if a tenant notifies the landlord within 30 days of a late payment that the non-payment of rent is due to a financial impact related to the COVID-19 emergency.

• Prohibits landlords from sending “notice to quit” letters for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency is terminated.

• Establishes a moratorium on foreclosure actions for the duration of the State of Emergency and 30 days after the State of Emergency ends.

• Allows for video conferencing during the State of Emergency for reverse mortgage loans. Current mandates require in-person consultations for these loans.

• Emergency evictions may proceed during the moratorium for actions that involve allegations of criminal activity or substantial lease violations that may detrimental to public health or public safety.

Representative LaNatra said, “This is important protection for both residents and businesses because it provides some protection during this crisis. These are difficult times for us all and we are working to enact legislation that protects our citizens and help us all through these challenging circumstances.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  To reach her, email Kathleen.LaNatra@mahouse.gov or her legislative aide,  Chris Jean, Christopher.Jean@MAhouse.gov. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2430. For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, https://bit.ly/2Ura8VR or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met via Zoom on Tuesday, April 14. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig told the Board that he would like them to revisit the Halifax COVID leave that had been established for town employees following the Governor’s statewide stay-at-home advisory.

He said that it would be necessary to differentiate between time off due to vacation or sick leave (unrelated to COVID) from leaves of absence related to the pandemic. Seelig said that in the weeks since the order, the town has been able to establish the ability for most town employees to work from home. He said there are still a select few who cannot work from home but no longer have a job site. Seelig said he would work with departments to try to find remedies for those situations, including possibly finding other town work for those employees to do from home. The Board plans to review further at their April 28 meeting.

Seelig also addressed the need for certain town employees to be granted carry over for vacation hours.

He said that the police and fire departments have not seen an influx in calls related to COVID-19 and therefore it wouldn’t be necessary to grant the carry over across the board. Seelig said, however, that both he and the town health agent Cathy Drinan would like the ability to carry over vacation time for use at a later time as they are having to work more hours as a result of COVID-19.

The Board approved the request with Chair Troy Garron saying it would be best to take such requests on a case-by- case basis.

Joseph Peck attended the meeting remotely to fulfil an appointment with the Board to discuss the issuance of a post permit for earth removal done a few years back by his father, John Peck. The Board and Seelig had a copy of a report from an engineer that included comments and recommendations for how to move forward before issuing the permit. Seelig asked Peck what his intentions were with the remaining earth mounds. Peck said, “I have no intentions with it. They’re just piles of dirt right now… it is certainly not leaving the property which I guess is the main concern.” Selectman Gordon Andrews said that he felt that a topographical plan should be submitted per the recommendation of the engineer.

Selectman Tom Millias agreed saying that in a perfect world he would like to see the recommendations carried out as well.

Peck told the Board that his father was quite ill and would be unable to attend a court date should there be one. He requested that the Board allow him to pay for the permit and waive the other recommendations stating that he would rather see money go to the town right now for the permit than to a land surveyor.

He also stressed his continued cooperation in the future in abiding by all town bylaws. Referring to Peck’s father’s health and the overall situation Garron said, “My feeling right now is that we set out to make sure everyone follows the rules and the bylaws and the situation has changed radically.

The Board agreed to move forward allowing Peck to simply pay for the post permit with the caveat that if there were to be any future violations, the town would need to take further legal action.

The Board also met virtually with Robert Bergstrom to discuss the upcoming Mudfest. Bergstrom said that just under 1,000 people attended the event last year and said that he was coming before the Board with the understanding that the event could only move forward if the Governor lifted his ban on gatherings before the June 21 date of the event. The Board voted to approve the event contingent on a review of the Governor’s restrictions prior to the event date.

Seelig gave a quick update on the town budget saying that the Finance Committee plans to meet next week. He said they will review guidance from town accountant Sandy Nolan as well as a framework provided by himself.

Seelig also said that the Halifax town meeting is still scheduled for June 15 and the town elections are still scheduled for June 20. Seelig said that he hopes that the state government will give consideration to a mail-in vote as it gets closer to June.

Two articles in the proposed warrant for town meeting will be submitted to the Planning Board for their public hearing on May 7. Those include one related to floodplain mapping as well as an article allowing recreational marijuana in the commercial district with a special permit. The Selectmen also voted to submit a new draft of the proposed multifamily zoning bylaw to the Planning Board for the May 7 hearing.

In other news, the May 8 Ragnar Road Race scheduled to use Halifax Elementary School as one of it’s stops has been cancelled.

Seelig also said that the Board had received a request to proclaim May 3 through May 9 as Children’s Mental Health Week.

Both Garron and Seelig pointed out that the Board has never participated in making such proclamations. The Board requested that Seelig gather more information on the organization making the request before they make their decision likely at the next meeting.

The Board voted to approve a generic contract requested by Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward in the amount of $28,500.

The money would be spent surveying the conditions of the town’s roads and estimating the cost of improvements. Seelig also asked the Board to approve a $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards for the town to use toward COVID-19 related costs.

Seelig told the Board that the pandemic has given the town more of a reason to try handling more business electronically moving forward. Seelig said that they may want to consider articles at town meeting to appropriate money to have new systems put in place.

Garron, who referred to himself as “old school” said, “I like hard copies.”

Word has come that the transfer station in Plympton will close for two weeks beginning today, April 10.  The decision was “not made lightly” and  is the result of several factors, according to the edict, including patrons not following safety instructions, and trying to enter the closed office at the site, touching buttons on the equipment, and while trying to be helpful may actually be putting employees at risk.

The station is due to re-open Saturday, April 25, unless otherwise posted.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen held their Thursday, March 26 meeting remotely using a conference phone line that members of the public could also call into.

Chair of the Board of Health Arthur Morin and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy were also on the line. Dennehy told the Board that she has been having conference calls several days a week with department heads and others to discuss Plympton’s contingency plan for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dennehy said that the town would be receiving some supplemental guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they would be passing along.

The Plympton Fire and Police departments are doing their best to minimize exposure. They have designated just one ambulance to be used should a dispatcher get a sense that the call could involve potential exposure to COVID-19.

First responders will be put up in hotels should they need to be quarantined, particularly if they have vulnerable family members at home. Additionally, the ambulances are being fogged and there are plans to also fog the police cruisers and library. The fire station is being utilized to house several much-needed programs such as meals on wheels and the free and reduced school lunch program.

As part of the contingency plan, the Board of Health suggested making sure that there is more than one person with access to each of the passwords needed for various town departments. A backup would be assigned for each password holder. “It just seems like with everything being so uncertain and the numbers that are projected to come out with positive cases, I don’t think its realistic to think that none of us will be impacted in some way,” Dennehy explained.

Despite many municipalities canceling and postponing their town elections and town meetings, Dennehy said she was not ready to go that route. “I still don’t think that we’re in a spot where we necessarily want to pursue that at this time. It might be optimistic but I’m hoping that maybe things will be somewhat back to normal by that point and that we’re able to go on as planned. Obviously, we’ll be ready if we’re mandated to change those dates and I think we’ll get a better handle on it as the weeks go forward,” Dennehy told the Board.

Dennehy said that she has continued to meet with the finance committee and town accountant Barbara Gomez to work on the budget. She also told the Board that warrant articles are still being sent in at this time.

Selectman John Traynor had a number of suggestions for making sure that members of the community were taken care of during this crisis. Traynor proposed a petty cash fund that could be utilized by the fire department to buy supplies, etc. for residents who find themselves in trouble. Dennehy as well as Selectmen Christine Joy and Mark Russo were all on board with Trainor saying he would be glad to donate to such a fund. Dennehy said she would speak to Gomez about getting such an account set up. Traynor also suggested making well-being calls to residents. The possibility of robocalls with pertinent information regarding what to do if feeling ill was also discussed.

Morin commended Dennehy for her work during this crisis, saying, “Over the past fifty years, I’ve worked with a lot of professionals and I will tell you that this town is extremely lucky to have a professional like Liz Dennehy. She does just an amazing, amazing job.” Russo also jumped in, saying, “I think our emergency management team… are just doing amazing work… I absolutely feel comfortable that we are in good hands, the citizens are, and we all are. So, thank you.”

The Town of Halifax notified residents on March 25 that a second case of COVID-19 has been confirmed.  Due to privacy requirements, the name and address were not disclosed, although the close contacts of the positive case have been notified and are following CDC guidelines for self-quarantine.

Other contacts are still being investigated. With increased testing capabilities and community spread of COVID-19, having positive cases in Town was inevitable. This is a crucial time in infection control. Maintaining social distancing, limiting exposure to others, avoiding crowded places, and vigilant hand washing are vital steps in slowing the spread of this disease.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) continues to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other Federal agencies and our local Board of Health to share the most up to date information available. The DPH website is updated constantly with the latest guidance, including printable fact sheets in multiple languages at www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

The CDC website is https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html   The Town will continue to share information to ensure you are updated as broadly and quickly as possible.

North Easton Savings Bank announced that, due to the evolving situation related to the coronavirus outbreak, banking office lobbies will close until further notice.  Additionally, the bank has temporarily closed its two in-store locations at Roche Bros. in Easton and Shaw’s in North Attleborough.

Rich Spencer, Chief Executive Officer at North Easton Savings Bank, said that he hopes that lobby service will be restored soon, and reminds the public that, despite the temporary closings, Bank customers have several other ways to conduct banking with North Easton Savings Bank.

Individual locations will continue to offer drive-up and ATM services. In addition, the bank offers a variety of convenient services that include:

• Online and Mobile Banking – pay bills, transfer money between accounts, check balances and recent account activity, deposit a check, set up Alerts, and open a new account in our secure site. Login or enroll at www.NorthEastonSavingsBank.com.

• ATMs – Deposit cash or checks, withdraw, transfer funds between accounts, and check balances at the bank’s network of 23 ATM locations. Find maps and directions at www.NorthEastonSavingsBank.com./locations

• 24/7 Automated Telephone Banking Line – Get real-time balances, monitor recent account activity, transfer funds. To enroll, call the Contact Center. To access, call 888-226-5276.

•  Customer Contact Center – the bank’s service team can help with banking questions, or quickly put customers in touch with an expert if needed. Current hours are M-F 8-6; Sat 9-1. Reach the Center at 508-238-2007.

• Limited In-person Service by Appointment – For urgent matters requiring in-person assistance, individuals can call the bank’s Customer Contact Center to request an appointment. Appointments would be available based on the bank’s evaluation of conditions at the time of the request.

• Online Account Opening and Loan Application at www.NorthEastonSavingsBank.com

Spencer said, “We are sorry for any inconvenience this temporary closing of our lobbies will cause. We did not take the step lightly. But, given the current circumstances, it’s the right decision. The safety of our customers and employees must come first.

The North Easton Savings Bank employee team is working hard to help our customers smoothly navigate this temporary situation, and we are looking forward to the day we can restore our lobby services.”

He continued, “As a community bank, our goal is to meet the needs of our customers and communities and do so in a way that we believe best protects their health. Our top priority is to maintain a safe workplace for our employees, and a safe place of business for our customers.”

North Easton Savings Bank will maintain current information about its banking operations, and possible impacts to service delivery, on the Bank’s web page, and will communicate with its customers by email.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an arm of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html, provides situation updates, advice, and FAQs.

About North Easton Savings Bank

With eighteen local branches and over $1.1 billion in assets, North Easton Savings Bank is uniquely situated to provide personal and business banking and lending solutions to southeastern Massachusetts. Founded in 1864, the Bank has a proven track record of growing the community through fair banking practices, financial advising, and local philanthropy.

Looking forward, North Easton Savings Bank is well-positioned as the preferred area banking partner with a powerful combination of convenient features like mobile and online banking and the personal, hometown touch of a local bank. North Easton Savings Bank is fully insured by the FDIC and the DIF and is an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, please visit www.NorthEastonSavingsBank.com.

Plympton Town Clerk Patricia Detterman has announced that nomination papers are now available for the Spring Town Election on Saturday, May 16.

A complete list of offices is available on the town’s web site or at the office of the Town Clerk during regular business hours.

Voters across Massachusetts headed to the polls on Super Tuesday to vote in the presidential primary.

Voters in Halifax, selected Joe Biden as their preferred Democratic  presidential nominee with him receiving 519 votes or 39 percent of the vote.  Bernie Sanders finished second with 363 votes or 27% of the vote. Elizabeth Warren received 190 votes, 14.3 percent, and Michael Bloomberg received 171 votes  or 12.8%. Bloomberg has since left the race.

Nearly 43 percent of voters in Plympton also selected Biden who received 249 votes. Sanders received 149 votes and 25.7 percent of the Plympton vote while Warren received 73 votes (12.6 percent) and Bloomberg received 64 votes (11 percent).

In Kingston, Biden also received the lion’s share of votes with 1032, or 39.1% of the democratic votes cast.  Bernie Sanders took 704 votes, or 26.7%, and Elizabeth Warren tied Micheal Bloomberg with each receiving 350 votes, or 13.27%.

Plymouth County voted very similarly overall to the Silver Lake towns of Halifax, Plympton, and Kingston. Tulsi Gabbard, who as of press time was still in the race, received very little support from Massachusetts. Biden walked away from Super Tuesday with 34 of Massachusetts’ delegates while Sanders picked up 26, and Warren 17.

Republican voters faced a choice between President Donald Trump or former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.

Trump easily won the Massachusetts Republican primary with nearly 87 percent of the vote while Weld picked up 10 percent of the vote. For reference, both Halifax (53 percent of the vote) and Plympton (50 percent of the vote) went for Donald Trump in the 2016 general election, despite Clinton winning the state by a significant margin.

Three candidates were on the ballot in both Halifax and Plympton for Republican State Committee Man in the Second Plymouth and Bristol District. They were Incumbent and Halifax Selectman Gordon C. Andrews, former state representative and Whitman resident Geoff Diehl, and Lawrence Novak of Brockton. Diehl won decisively in  both towns with 420 in Halifax to Andrews 292, and Novak 28.  In Plympton,  Diehl won with 187 votes to Andrews 67 and Novak 11.   

Two candidates were also on the ballot for Republican State Committee Woman: Whitman resident KathyJo Boss and Brockton resident Jeanie Falcone.  Kathy Jo Boss won Halifax with 397 votes to Falcone’s 300.  In Plympton, Boss  won 146 votes to Falcone’s 108. The races for Democratic State Committee Woman and Man were uncontested with both Michael D. Brady and Peggy Curtis both up for reelection.

In Kingston, voters chose James R. McMahon, III for Republican State Committee man with 562 votes over Jesse G. Brown, 483 votes, and Sean Patrick Rausch with 36 votes. Jennifer A Cunningham won 593 votes for Republican State Committee woman over Linda M Zuern with 405 votes.  The Democratic State Committee Man in Kingston was Brian R. Dunn who ran unopposed. Democratic State Committee Woman Amy B. Kullar was also unopposed.

Results of the State Committee races were still being tabulated as of press time.