Council Seat Run An Education, Newcomer Says

By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—Councilor-at-large candidate Kate Archard said she met with Brockton Election Commission officials this morning and is satisfied that all of the votes in Tuesday’s election have been calculated properly and she will not seek a recount.
“There were something between 150 and 180 absentee ballots—we were hoping there would be more,” Archard said.
Archard, with the support of Stop The Power forces, fell short of unseating any of the four incumbents who sought election to their councilor-at-large seats.
She was 248 votes behind Todd Petti, the only councilor who has been in favor of a proposed 350-megawatt natural gas power plant planned for the Brockton-West Bridgewater border.
Archard said Tuesday night she might seek a recount because of the woeful electronic data management associated with the city’s water billing debacle.
However, after meeting with commissioners this morning she is satisfied every ballot has been counted and the absentee ballots were not enough to force the city to spend $5,000 to hold a recount.
“I’m disappointed, but I learned a lot,” Archard said.
She said it is unclear if a mailing from Stop The Power’s financier Eddie Beyers that notably left off Councilor-at-large Jass Stewart’s name as a staunch opponent of the power plant hurt her cause, but noted many observers believed it was a misstep.
However, she said the mailing was something Beyers did on his own and felt strongly about.
She said as a newcomer she had many obstacles to overcome, including the several years head-start each of her opponents have had building committees and voter support during past elections.
Archard said she will remain involved in city politics as well as her numerous volunteer endeavors.