Brewster Select Board Race Heads To Recount

BREWSTER – For the second election cycle in a row, Brewster will be getting a recount.

In last week’s town election, Amanda Bebrin edged Laurel Labdon by three votes, 1,458-1,455, for a seat on the select board, while incumbent Mary Chaffee topped the ticket with 1,685 votes for the other open seat. Labdon has formally requested a recount after collecting 10 signatures from each of the town’s three precincts.

“I thought with the amount of support I received I thought it was appropriate,” Labdon said. “I want to double check to make sure something might not have gone wrong. I don’t expect anything. With the support I received I just want to put a period on it and end the sentence no matter how it turns out. I don’t expect a different outcome.”

The recount is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. next Tuesday at town hall.

Last year Labdon lost to Ned Chatelain by five votes after a recount.

“The biggest intention is just to be able to assure the town that it is worth voting and every vote counts. I would rather it had been more decisive,” Labdon said.

The close votes during the last two elections suggest there is a division in the town, Labdon said.

“It shows how divided on some issues the town is,” she said. “That makes me sad, my hometown. I was hoping to bridge the divide on the select board. I will be engaged and represent everything I heard in the last two years of campaigning. I’ll stay engaged with committees and attending meetings.”

Labdon was elected unopposed to the Brewster Housing Authority. She also plans to apply for the new committee the select board is forming to implement the plans town meeting approved for the two Sea Camps properties. She talked with many voters about the plans.

“I am concerned about the tax burden on taxpayers,” she said. “The projected costs at the bay property are over $60 million if a community center is built. I hope to have a voice in slimming that down a little bit. I’ve talked to thousands of residents the past two years. I’d bring that perspective and broaden the outlook.”

She isn't looking ahead to 2025.

“Right now the thought of campaigning again is the farthest thing from my mind,” Labdon said.