Candidates familiar and new earn victories at Mattapoisett town election

May 21, 2024

MATTAPOISETT — A margin of fewer than 75 votes decided the future of the Mattapoisett Select Board, while candidates both familiar and new will join the Mattapoisett School Committee following the town’s May 21 election.

Jodi Bauer was reelected to a three-year seat on the Mattapoisett Select Board, winning out against Kathleen Costello 963 to 890, according to unofficial results.

Bauer has been on the Mattapoisett Select Board since 2021. This will be her second term.

She said she felt good about the election, that her campaign was very clean.

“I’m going to continue to go back and do what I’ve been doing, working for the board and with the board to accomplish a lot of things that we need to tackle,” Bauer said.

In the race for two open seats on the Mattapoisett School Committee, James Muse retained a three-year seat with 1,190 votes while Jack LeBrun earned a three-year term with 1,103 votes. Kathleen McArdle-LeClair received 882 votes, according to unofficial results.

LeBrun said he was “incredibly grateful” and “honored” to be one of the two candidates elected.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to improve our schools,” he said.

A Mattapoisett School Committee member for 12 years, Muse earned a fifth term and led all three candidates in votes.

He said he was thrilled at the turnout in this year’s election.

“Time to move forward,” Muse said. “There’s work to do. There always is.”

McArdle-LeClair said she ran a good campaign and was “very happy” with how she conducted herself.

“We’re not going away,” she said.

In another tightly contested race, Alan Apperson defeated incumbent Leonard Coppola for assessor — 875 votes to 818, according to unofficial results.

All other races in the election were uncontested.

Mattapoisett Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger said turnout Tuesday at the polls at Old Hammondtown School was “steady all day but not super busy.”

Based on unofficial results, 1,889 of 5,909 registered voters cast ballots, a turnout of 32% percent