Trust in incumbents held strong in a hotly contested school board race.
In West Concord and the South End, incumbent school board member Cara Meeker edged out a win against Jeff Wells, a sharp critic of the Concord Board of Education’s recent decision to move forward with a new middle school.
“I’m relieved, grateful and feeling so supported,” Meeker said. “I’m reflective of that fact that I lost my ward, [Ward 7], and I’m ready to work with them and listen and build our future together.”
Meeker was among the eight of nine board members who voted last month to knock down Rundlett Middle School and construct a new school building beside it, a project nearly ten years in the making but plagued by delays and controversy.
Wells centered his campaign on the middle school project, both a belief that it was too expensive for Concord residents to shoulder and that its price tag was indicative of a school board that had lost touch with some of the most economically vulnerable in its community.
At a hearing near the end of October, where the school board decided to build the new $155 million school, voices in support of rebuilding made up a strong majority. That momentum largely carried through to Election Day, when Meeker carried about 58% of the vote.
The result was a let-down for Wells, who ran a robust door-knocking and postage campaign.
“It was disappointing, but I think the voters have said their piece, that they want to retain the school board that they have,” Wells said. “And it sounds like the populace, or the voting populace of Concord, wants a brand new, expensive school, which I’m surprised at.”
Charlotte Matherly and Jeremy Margolis contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with final election results from the city clerk’s office.
