On Tuesday, April 28, slightly over 12% of registered Acton voters went to the polls (or mailed in their ballots ahead of time, or dropped ballots by the end of voting day) to elect several new Town officers, as well as re-electing some incumbents.
Note that these are still preliminary results. Based on prior year’s outcomes, the number of votes for any candidate might change by a few votes, but probably not enough to change the overall results. The Acton Exchange reached out to Town Clerk Leo Mercado just before Town Hall closed on Friday, and learned that the final results will not be posted until staff are sure that all of the mail-in ballots have come in, perhaps Monday.
For more details, including breakdown by precinct, see the Annual Town Election 2026 tally sheet.
Contested races, from most to least votes:
Select Board (top two vote winners will be seated)
- Pamela Nourse: 1652 votes
- Alissa Nicol (incumbent): 1636 votes
- Daniel Carroll: 323 votes
School Committee (top three vote winners will be seated):
- Victoria (Tori) Campbell (incumbent): 1416 votes
- Jacob (Jake) Fay: 1260 votes
- Dennis Burianek: 1093 votes
- Natasha Sikorski-Onken: 851 votes
- Diego Represa: 539 votes
- Daniel Carroll: 231 votes
Water District Commissioner (top vote winner will be seated):
- John Petersen: 1161 votes
- Stephen Stuntz (incumbent): 692 votes
In addition, voters elected the following new and returning Acton residents to the following uncontested seats:
- Moderator: Jo-Ann Berry
- Memorial Library Trustee (3 year term): Tom Lemire
- Memorial Library Trustee (2 year term): Ann Marie Testarmata
- Housing Authority member: Mary Will
- Water District Clerk: Joseph Robb
Reactions to local elections
Acton Exchange editors invited candidates in contested elections and selected individuals close to the work of each Board/Committee/Commission to comment on the results of the recent elections. The following comments were received by email:
School Committee:
From Tori Campbell: “I appreciate everyone who stepped forward to run for office; it takes real courage to do so. I’m honored and humbled by the support of our community, and grateful for the dedicated, talented group of colleagues continuing and stepping into service across our town. We won’t always agree, and that’s a good thing. We are stronger when we challenge each other’s thinking. What matters is that we all understand what’s at stake and are committed to working together to move our community forward.”
From Jake Fay: “I’m honored and grateful to have earned a seat on the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee, and I’d like to thank everyone who voted, volunteered, or simply encouraged me along the way. This was a competitive race with six talented candidates, and I don’t take the community’s trust lightly. I’m eager to get to work on behalf of all of AB’s students, families, and educators.”
Water District Commissioner:
From John Petersen: “Acton’s great strength is the talent and dedication of its volunteers and elected officials. Steve Stuntz is one of those dedicated people who has helped lead the Water District over four decades. I am grateful for his service. Going forward, I hope to build on our increased customer engagement as we work to study our rate setting process and communicate improvements in water supply and quality.”
From Stephen Stuntz: “Dear Voters, Thanks for going to the polls and making democracy work. Although disappointed in the results I know elections are the best way for the community to operate. I hope that John can continue the tradition of the AWD being the best it can be. For me, the 39 years of being a commissioner has been a delight and I have been glad to have been part of the organization. I know Matt Mostoller is a great leader and with consistent support will do an outstanding job. Thanks to all of you for supporting me over the years.”
Compiled by Miriam Lezak, Acton Exchange associate editor and sometimes writer.
