EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow voters selected incumbent Marilyn Richards and Jonathan Torcia to fill the two Town Council seats that were on the ballot in this year’s town election. Similarly, Gregory Thompson will maintain his seat on the School Committee and Kate Leydon was also elected to that body.

Richards, who is the current East Longmeadow Town Council Vice Chair, was re-elected to her seat with 574 votes. Richards, who had previously served on the Select Board and Planning Board, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council in 2019, before winning the seat in election the next year.

“Quite simply, I am humbled that the voters have placed faith in my ability to serve by re-electing me to another three-year term. The people know that I am willing to work hard on their behalf and by teaming up with my council colleagues, each with their individual gifts and talents, I see only good things in the town’s future. I am truly excited and thank the voters once again, for their vote of confidence.”

Torcia has been serving on the Planning Board, most recently as its chair, and he has been on the Community Preservation Committee. He will step down from both of those roles to assume the position of councilor. He received 473 votes in the election and will fill outgoing Councilor Michael Kane’s seat.
Thompson, the current School Committee chair, was reelected to his seat with 462 votes. Thompson was first elected to the School Committee in 2008.

“I am happy to continue working on behalf of East Longmeadow students and families. We have a great team here at ELPS, and I truly believe education in our town is top notch because of all of the staff members here and there efforts,” Thompson said. “I hope to continue to work to encourage residence to support the new high school project with a yes vote this coming November.”

Voters seated Leydon on the School Committee as well. Leydon, who received 512 votes, will serve her first term in elected town office. She is filling the seat that was left open by Elizabeth Marsian-Boucher.
“It is an honor to be elected to serve my hometown,” Leydon said. “Working on behalf of our town’s children is a significant commitment. I am appreciative of the voters’ trust and look forward to serving for the next three years.”

Residents voted 457-43 to ratify the Town Council’s approval of a municipal light plant, the governmental structure that allows cities and towns to operate utilities. East Longmeadow is pursuing the development of a town-wide fiber optic internet system. The Town Council voted to establish a municipal light plant in two consecutive fiscal years, as required by law. With the ballot question approved, the town can now move forward in examining options for such a system.

A total of 705 people voted in the election, 5.4% of eligible voters. That turnout is low for a Town Election in East Longmeadow. In 2022, 13.6% of eligible voters cast a ballot and 11.2% did so in 2021. In each of those years, there were contested races on the ballot, which was not true of this election.