By Theresa Knapp 

Glenda Hazard was re-elected to the Select Board in the May election. Hazard first won the seat in a special election in December 2020, and then had to resign in February due to family obligations. 

In the election, Hazard received 475 votes and opponent Kaplan Hasanoglu received 314 votes. There were also two write-ins and 24 blanks. Hazard will serve a three-year term. 

Current selectmen Brian Keyes and Louis Arcudi III welcomed Hazard back to the board at their May 24, 2021 meeting, the first after the election. 

During a discussion about who would serve as Chairman of the Select Board, Arcudi, who has served on various town boards and committees for 32 years, restated (as he did when he took out his nomination papers in 2019), this would be his final year on the board and he would not run for re-election when his term expires in 2022. 

“As people know, I’m in the process of selling my company and I’m starting a very new and exciting venture in the summer, and I feel that it would be unfair to both Brian and to Glenda, but more importantly to the taxpayers of Hopedale...I won’t have the time actually to devote to being chairman,” Arcudi said, adding he is not sure where this new venture will take him over the next 12 months. 

Keyes was reappointed as chairman.