ROYALSTON – Voters who thought there would only be one choice for the newest Selectboard member may be surprised to hear that they now have another option.
Shelby Bronnes recently announced that she is running as a write-in candidate, mounting a challenge to Ryan Hood, who submitted nomination papers to be on the April 3 Town Election ballot. The election takes place on Monday, April 3. Balloting will take place from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at Royalston Town Hall, 13 On the Common.
Bronnes graduated from Athol High School in 2013, moving through the Athol Royalston Regional School District after attending preschool at the Village School in Royalson. While attending AHS, she played sports, was in the drama club, and was class secretary and treasurer.
After graduating from Athol High, Bronnes attended Bridgewater State University for a year before transferring to Worcester State, earning a bachelor’s degree in public health. She also earned an associate degree as a physical therapy assistant from Mount Wachusett Community College.
“So, that’s what I do right now at Athol Hospital,” she added.
Other than being away for her college years, Bronnes has always lived in Royalston, where she and her boyfriend Steven Robinson just completed construction on a new home. In addition to holding the position of Maintainer I in the Building & Grounds Department at UMass/Amherst, Robinson has worked at Royalston’s transfer station for the past 16 years.
“A lot of people have said, ‘Wow, you built a home at such a young age.’ Well, it’s very stressful and very difficult to do in terms of decision-making and trying to organize your budget,” she said. “But it’s my hope I’ll be able to take a lot of those skills into being on the Selectboard, being able to manage the money and making the right decisions.”
Bronnes spoke to several people who urged her to run for the board after reading about the upcoming election in the town newsletter. Unfortunately, she said, the period for taking out and filing nomination papers had already passed. Still, she decided to take up the challenge.
“The town has given me so much in terms of growing up here, going to the local schools,” she said. “When I graduated from high school, I was able to get a scholarship from the Ladies Benevolent Society. They’ve just given me a lot in terms of my development and I really think I could give back to them and maintain the uniqueness and the beauty that this town has. That’s why I decided to run for selectman. Now the people have a choice to decide who they want.”
Voters casting ballots for her must do things correctly and Bronnes is not leaving that to chance.
“When you run as write-in, they want you to have people spell your name and write your address on the ballot,” she said.
To that end, she has had cards printed up that include a sticker with the required information that can be peeled off and applied to the ballot.
“When I was speaking to people at the transfer station I had some people come up and say, ‘Can I have a bunch, because I’m going to my friends down at the South Village,’” Bronnes said. “Luckily, I have great people who are willing to help me.”
Asked about any specific issues she feels the need to address, Bronnes wants to take things as they come and be unbiased in her decisions.
“I have no preconceived notions about what I want to do or what changes I want to make,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a make-the-decision-as-it-comes kind of thing.”
Realizing that running for office as a write-in can be daunting, Bronnes said she would consider running again if things don’t work out this year.
“Growing up in town, I saw a lot of women in leadership roles,” she said. “I’m in National Society for Leadership, I’ve had a lot of leadership experience throughout my life and I think that seeing these women as I was growing up – like Nancy Melbourne and Deb D’Amico – taking on these roles, it’s been very empowering for me as a young woman.”
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.