Joseph Returns to Natick Select Board; Fuxman & Brunell Elected to School Committee

By Luke Canavan

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NATICK – Voters returned Paul Joseph to the 5-member Natick Select Board, and elected a new voice to the Natick School Committee today, in annual election for the Town of natick.

This year, Natick mailed out 877 ballots for mail-in voters and saw 24,400 voters in total. 

The unofficial results gave the victory to Joseph over Guimel DeCarvalho. Joseph received 57.82% of the vote.

“I am grateful to all of the voters of Natick who took the time to mail-in a ballot or vote today – as we know, it is our local elections that most directly affect the quality and affordability of our daily lives. I’m especially grateful to have earned the trust of Natick’s voters to serve in this role again, and I promise to serve in a manner that honors my campaign theme of ‘working for one Natick,’” wrote Joseph.

The city was an open seat with current Select Board Chair Jonathan Freedman choosing not to seek another term.

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“I want to thank Guimel and her team for making the campaign season truly more engaging and relevant to more of Natick’s residents. She introduced not only a new voice and different perspective into our local election, but also an important and timely focus on equity,” said Joseph. “I thank her for that, and I look forward to working with her to achieve some of the goals to which we are both committed, including a focus on implementing the recommendations of the Equity Task Force and continuing to promote opportunities for all of Natick’s residents to engage in local government at all levels.”

After seeing the results, DeCarvalho extended her congratulations to Joseph and discussed the impact they had during the race.

“I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Paul and wish him well. While I had hoped for different results, I am proud of the race we ran and the issues we brought forward. We engaged a wide range of voters and elevated the discussion around equity as an important aspect of municipal decision making. I look forward to continuing this work as part of the Natick Equity Taskforce,” wrote DeCarvalho.

The unofficial results gave victory to incumbent School Committee member Shai Fuxman, and challenger Catherine Brunell.

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Fuxman received 37.36% of the vote, with Brunell 33.76% of the vote.

Incumbent Matthew Brand finished third with 28.63% of the vote, in the race for two seats.

“I decided to run for School Committee because I wanted the community to have a seat at the table for the significant policy and budgetary decisions impacting our schools. Today, on election day, I reflect on how powerfully this community has lifted and supported me in this campaign. To the many who shared my message with friends and neighbors, who gave of their time in holding signs, and who donated to my campaign, my heart will be forever grateful,” wrote Brunell.

Other candidates were also re-elected for various unopposed positions, including Andrew Meyer for Planning Board, Kelly McPherson for Recreation and Parks Commision, Carol Gloff for Library Trustee, Molly Reed for Board of Assessors, Peter Delli Colli for Board of Health, and David Parish for Housing Authority.

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The full list of unofficial results are as follows:

Board of Selectmen:

• Paul Joseph: 1775 votes (57.82%)
• Guimel DeCarvalho: 1291 votes (42.05%)

School Committee

• Shai Fuxman : 2099 votes (37.36%)
• Catherine Brunell: 1897 votes (33.76%)
• Matthew Brand : 1609 votes (28.63%)

Planning Board

• Andrew Meyer: 2312 votes (98.72%)

Recreation and Parks Commision

• Kelly McPherson: 2417 votes (99.42%)

Library Trustees

• Carol Gloff: 2492 votes (99.64%)

Board of Assessors

• Molly Reed: 2246 votes (99.47%)

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Board of Health

• Peter Delli Colli: 2352 votes (99.53%)

Housing Authority

• David Parish: 2248 votes (99.51%)

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Luke Canavan is a spring 2021 SOURCE intern. He is currently a senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studies Communication and English. He is passionate about film, television, writing, and literature, and upon graduation, he hopes to work in the entertainment industry full-time, where he can pursue his love for storytelling.