March 13, 2013
New Hampshire

Wind farm proposal loses in Grafton voting

By MEGHAN PIERCE, Union Leader Correspondent | March 12, 2013 | www.unionleader.com

GRAFTON – The incumbent selectman was ousted and a wind farm project got the thumbs down from voters Tuesday.

Sean Frost won a three-year term on the Select Board with 263 votes against incumbent David Rienzo, who had 193 votes and candidate Jeremy J. Olson, who received 80 votes.

Article 14, which would regulate potential wind farm projects, passed 394 to 134.

Another article asking voters “to advise the Selectmen to REJECT the proposed Wild Meadow Wind Project” passed 334 to 190.

Town Clerk Bonnie J. Haubrich won in a race against Lindsay Dean, 421 to 114.

Road Agent Robert J. Bassett also retained his position in a race against Paul Jalbert, 294 to 224.

The proposed $825,956 budget, which was reduced 10 percent by voters at the deliberative session, failed, so the $940,366 default budget was adopted.

Many of the numerous petition articles failed, Town Clerk Haubrich said, including a petition article that would have prohibited the Select Board from evicting residents from their homes for unpaid taxes, a petition article that would have repealed the town’s open container ordinance and a petition article that sought to cap all future town budgets.