NAHANT — Diane Savage Dunfee begins her one-year term as town clerk Monday.
Following in the long-standing footsteps of Peggy Barile — who held the position for 13 years before announcing her resignation in February — Dunfee said she looks forward to bringing her expertise and experience to the new role.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I think it’s a perfect position for my qualifications and I look forward to working with the people in town.”
The former Office of the Selectmen assistant will be joining town hall staff in the midst of a likely recount between Board of Selectmen candidates Eugene Canty and David Walsh, who received 657 and 654 votes respectively during Nahant’s historically close election June 20.
On Thursday, Walsh delivered a letter to interim town clerk Carol Nelson formally requesting a recount. An official date will be set in the coming weeks, he told the Item Thursday.
“When it’s three (votes) and you’re using a system that isn’t 100 percent perfect, there are certainly possibilities the count could change,” Walsh said.
Close calls aside, the coronavirus pandemic made for an all-around difficult election season, with candidates campaigning for nearly two months longer than expected after officials were forced to push the election back from its original April 25 date in order to better comply with ever-changing state safety guidelines.
In an earlier interview with the Item, Dunfee said there was a learning curve when it came to campaigning in the middle of a global public health crisis.
“It’s fine because it gives you a little bit more time to talk to people, but it’s also harder to reach them because you can’t knock on doors or (meet face-to-face) with anyone,” she said.
Dunfee also had steep competition in her run against town clerk candidates Bobbie-Jo Blair and Lori Ballentine, both of whom have years of experience serving Nahant and its residents.
“It was a tough race,” Dunfee said. “There was never any time where I thought, ‘oh, I definitely got this.’ I’m thrilled to have been in the company of two very qualified, very professional women, and to come out with the opportunity to serve the town of Nahant.”
She later added: “I want to thank my committee and the people who helped me. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of support I got and the time that they invested in me and my campaign.”