Burnside has lead in Barre for town supervisor over Pogue

Mathes, Richardson have most votes for Town Board with early voting, absentees to be counted

BARRE – Scott Burnside is holding a 19-vote lead over Sean Pogue for town supervisor, after votes were counted today at the voting machine at the Town Hall.

That doesn’t include absentees and may not include early voting for nine days.

Burnside, who lost a Republican primary to Pogue on June 27 by a 165-115 vote, holds the lead after today’s vote, 259 to 240.

Burnside only had the Conservative Party line while Pogue has the Republican and ‘Future for barre” lines.

Pogue has been the town supervisor for nearly six years, during a time when the town has wrestled with a large-scale wind energy project and also a 2,000-acre solar facility that extends into the Town of Shelby.

Pogue was at the Town Hall when the results were announced not long after 9 p.m. He said he expected the vote to be close, but felt like he had the support of the voters.

“I knocked on a lot of doors and there was a lot of positive feedback,” Pogue said.

There is a close race for two other Town Board seats. Kirk Mathes leads with 282, followed by Kerri Richardson with 266 and Margaret Swan, 262.

Richardson, a Conservative, has frequently butted heads with Pogue and the pro-wind faction of the board. Mathes and Swan both are Republicans with the “Future for Barre” line.

Other totals for Barre candidates at the Town Hall today include 361 for Dale Brooks as highway superintendent, 315 for Earl Jenks, Jr. for town justice, and 275 for Maureen Beach as town clerk.