Hazelton, Peraner-Sweet, Gomez and Markey Win Westford's Contested Races

After a turnout almost seven times higher than in 2012, the voters of Westford have chosen who they want to serve on the Board of Selectmen for the next two years: Andrea Peraner-Sweet and Scott Hazelton.

The newcomer Hazelton topped the four candidates for the race with 1858 votes in the town's unofficial results, as Peraner-Sweet narrowly defeated challenger Jim Jarvie by only 145 votes for the second seat on the board.

"I'm very happy, very grateful to the campaign committee I had, and I'm looking forward to working with Westford citizens," said Hazelton in a statement at his celebration party on Vose Hill Road.

Both Peraner-Sweet and Hazelton noted that the issue of the former Article 30 debate was just one issue bringing voters out to the polls, with Peraner-Sweet praising her fellow candidates at her celebration party at the Westford Museum.

"There were some very clearcut issues that the candidates presented to the voters in respect to how the candidates wanted to move in respect to budget issues," said Peraner-Sweet. "I congratulate Scott, he ran a terrific campaign. He was certainly a worthy opponent and was nothing but a respectful opponent throughout the entire campaign. Bob has served the town for over 20 years and has given his heart and soul to this town, all of us have benefited from Bob's devotion. I want to thank him for his service, and I wish the best for him."

For the two losing candidates, the loss also served as a moral victory, with Jefferies proud to stand on his principles regardless of the vote total and Jarvie ending the race with an appreciation for the knowledge he has gained as well as the connections he has made.

"It's obviously a tough loss, I put everything into this campaign, I left everything out there, but I said it at the beginning, I don't lose either way," said Jarvie. "I made some really great friendships and ran across some people I wouldn't have come across and met before, so I built some really great relationships from this."

Meanwhile, in the two party primaries for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry earlier this year, Westford voters chose the two candidates that Massachusetts voters on the whole also selected in Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez.

Markey had just short of 400 more votes than fellow Democrat Stephen Lynch among Westford voters while Gomez outpaced Westford GOP runner up Mike Sullivan by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.