Photo by Paula Muller
Donald Hause received 999 votes to earn a seat on the Swampscott Board of Selectmen.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Donald Hause and Patrick Jones are the town’s newest members of the Board of Selectmen, after beating incumbent Matthew Strauss Tuesday night.
Hause, who served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for a decade, was the big winner with 999 votes.
Jones, who served on the Planning Board for five years, received 912 votes. Strauss, who was seeking a third term on the board, received 810 votes.
Just 16 percent of voters turned out for the election.
Other members of the board, Naomi Dreeben, chairperson, Laura Spathanas, vice-chair and Peter Spellios were not up for re-election.
John Callahan, the other incumbent, did not seek re-election.
Hause stepped down from the ZBA in February, shortly after deciding to run for selectmen. This is his first elected position. He congratulated both of his opponents, saying Strauss has been a great advocate for the town.
“I’m thrilled,” Hause said. “I worked as hard as I could. I felt I could have a positive impact on the town.”
Hause is employed as a vice-president of Rockland Trust in Boston, a commercial bank. Prior to working for the bank, he worked for three commercial real estate companies in Boston.
Hause said there are some exciting initiatives that have been started in town and he sees an opportunity to complete them. He plans to focus on attracting businesses to Swampscott and improving infrastructure. He said town boards and commissions need to work collaboratively.
Hause said one of the best aspects of winning was telling his daughter that they no longer had to move out of town. When he initially told her of plans to running for the board, she was excited, but told him that if he lost, the family would have to leave Swampscott. He didn’t have much other celebration planned after a long day.
“I’ll go home, have a glass of wine and go to sleep,” he said.
Jones served on the Planning Board, an elected position, until 2012. He serves on the AllBlue Foundation Committee, a nonprofit established to enhance Swampscott athletic facilities and open space.
He is a licensed architect and has been practicing for 20 years.
“I’m thankful and humbled,” he said. “It was a close race. All three candidates were extremely qualified.”
Jones said he was excited to get to work. He said he has been working in different capacities with the town for nearly a decade. He said a looming large project is the potential construction of a new elementary school or the renovation of an existing one in town.
What made the difference in his victory was his town involvement and ability to listen to all sides of an issue, while trying to reach consensus, Jones said. He added that has always been his approach, that he never goes into anything with a bias.
Now, he’s planning to take it easy for a bit.
“I’ll go have a drink, sit back, relax and warm up,” Jones said.
Hause and Jones will be sworn in at the next board meeting, scheduled for May 4.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.