By Carol Britton Meyer

Editor’s Note: These interviews were conducted before the candidates were informed that a Brockton Superior Court judge issued an opinion in which he said Hull’s May 15 election results were “not valid” and recommended holding a new election.

The Hull Select Board has three new faces after Jason McCann, Jerry Taverna, and Brian McCarthy were the top vote-getters in Monday’s annual town election.

McCann topped the ticket, winning 1,207 votes to Taverna’s 844 votes in the race for two three-year terms on the board. McCarthy’s 1,065 votes earned him a two-year term on the board. These results are based on those as of the customary 8 p.m. closing time for the polls, although the voting hours were extended by two hours due to road closures while crews fought a three-alarm fire Monday afternoon.

STANDING PAT. Hull Municipal Light Board member Pat Cannon ran unopposed for re-election, but that didn’t stop him from staking out a spot among the blizzard of campaign signs outside the polls at Hull High School on Monday. [Skip Tull photo]

According to the 8 p.m. tally announced by Town Clerk Lori West at 10 p.m. on election night, select board Chair Donna Pursel, who ran for re-election, came in fourth with 502 votes to David Gibbons’s 578 votes; Philip Bellone earned 216; Moraiba Reyes finished with 329; and Kathleen Barclay had 382 votes. Incumbent Domenico Sestito did not run for another term.

McCann told The Hull Times that he’s “really excited to represent the people of Hull, including the gay community – which is a big part of our town and growing” – as a new select board member. “I’m looking forward to moving forward with the selection of a new town manager and also revisiting the town’s capital plan as soon as possible,” he said.

While on the campaign trail, McCann listened to every constituent with whom he talked.

“We had real conversations about what they care about, and I look forward to being their voice on the select board,” he said.

McCann believes that his past experiences serving on the planning board, Community Preservation Committee, and zoning board of appeals have prepared him for a seat on the select board.

“I feel that this is the next natural step,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to serving with Greg Grey and Irwin Nesoff, who I know from other activities in town, and the other select board members. I think it will be a very positive experience – five people with a good working relationship doing good things for the town.”

He expressed appreciation for his solid core of campaign volunteers, as well as all the other citizens from different parts of Hull who helped during standouts and events and on Election Day.

After many years of traveling for his job, Taverna has made some career changes and is now “in a good place” to serve the town, he told The Hull Times.

“When the three select board positions opened up, I was approached by several people [about running for office], and that planted the seed,” he said. “The response was extremely positive.”

Looking forward, Taverna feels that it’s time for “a bit of a shift in priorities – more toward the senior community and their needs and making necessary infrastructure improvements” – including town hall, the police and fire stations, and the senior center.

“I understand there’s a lot of planning going on [for a number of projects], and it will be cool and interesting to be part of that, along with the [Hull Public Schools] consolidation plan,” Taverna said.

As someone with a great appreciation for Hull’s history, he envisions the town offering trolley tours of different historic places around the community.

“I see this as an untapped avenue for [people to explore] Fort Revere, the Hull Lifesaving Museum, our amazing beaches, and other attractions,” he explained.

Taverna also plans on talking with Town Counsel James Lampke and Town Manager Philip Lemnios to address the issue of whether he would be able to vote on the new town manager since his wife, Joan Taverna, is Hull’s Public Health Director.

“This situation is not unprecedented, especially in a small town,” he said. “I’m sure there are certain policies in place, and there will be full transparency. I want to get this on the table right away so that there are no issues.”

With regard to voting on the health department budget, Taverna said he will recuse himself.

McCarthy captured the two-year open select board seat, filling the vacancy created by Jennifer Constable’s resignation earlier this year, winning 1,065 votes to James Ianiri’s 731 and Steven Greenberg’s 503.

In keeping with his campaign slogan, “Experience Matters,” McCarthy feels he’s a good fit for the job.

“I served on the council on aging for 26 years and also on the housing authority and board of assessors, and earlier on the finance committee, which is now called the advisory Board,” he told The Hull Times. “I’ve been to hundreds of meetings, and I think I have the experience, know-how, and education to step into this new role on day one.”

As an interesting aside, McCarthy ran unsuccessfully for select board 30 years ago this month.

“I didn’t have the experience back then,” he said. “I’m looking forward to giving it a shot now – to help the town move forward while facing a number of important decisions. If we make a good one about the new town manager, there can be a seamless transition. If we don’t get it right, that will set the town back.”

With regard to the Hull Public Schools consolidation, which he called “another hot-button issue,” McCarthy said it’s important “to go through the process and ensure that we get it right for the kids.”

He continues to be an advocate for Hull’s older residents.

“I have a soft spot for the senior citizens of this town,” he said.

McCarthy expressed appreciation for his team of campaign volunteers.

“They pushed me to get out there on weekends and weekdays, holding signs and greeting commuters,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

There were three candidates for two seats on the school committee – one occupied by incumbent Ernest Minelli and the other vacancy resulting from Stephanie Peters’s announcement that she would not run for another term.

Minelli won 1,032 votes; Fay Ferency, 911; and Colby Mahoney, 589, with 940 write-ins. It was unclear how many of those votes were for Regan Yakubian, who was a write-in candidate, and whether she captured enough votes to win the seat.

In the closely-watched contest for the Hull Redevelopment Authority, Patrick Finn had a 15-vote lead over Daniel Kernan, 1,075 to 1,060, for the five-year term, while Adrienne Paquin defeated Edwin Parsons, 1,356 to 706, for the three-year term.

In the race for two seats on the board of assessors, Mario Grieco had 1,460 votes and Pamela Sinton-Coffman had 1,307.

James Richman, the sole candidate for the Housing Authority seat, won 1,578 votes. James Pitrolo was the only candidate for the two-year planning board seat, with 1,446 votes.

Incumbent Harry Hibbard and Nancy Boyce ran for the two planning board seats, winning 1,203 and 1,361 votes respectively.

Patrick Cannon and Jacob Vaillancourt – both incumbents – were the only candidates for two seats on the municipal light board, with 1,454 and 1,332 votes respectively.

Celia Nolan and Duncan Stone were the only candidates for two three-year library trustee seats, and James Miller III was the sole candidate for the one-year library trustee seat, with Emily Garr winning the most votes for the two-year library trustee seat, with 1,117 votes to Sasha Green’s 569..

Click here for the full list of unofficial results.