Peter Fox wins Dudley selectman seat

Dudley - “I’m ecstatic,” said Peter Fox after winning the vacant seat on the Board of Selectman on Monday. Fox received 424 votes out of the total 992 votes cast. Runner-up John J. Marsi Jr. garnered 388 votes, just 36 fewer than Fox, and third place finisher Alfred C. Reich J. received 177.

“I’m extremely thankful, especially to my wife and family, and all the people that helped my campaign, the letter writers and sign holders,” Mr. Fox said. “It was a long campaign and a long day. We stood out there for 13 hours in the brutal cold.”

Mr. Fox has been a familiar figure in Dudley town committees and boards for many years, having served on the Capital Improvement Planning committee, Finance Appropriations and Advisory committee, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Long Range Planning. He is currently chairman of the Personnel Board. Now retired, his business background includes 26 years in management positions at Norton Co., now Saint Gobain.

“I wish the other candidates nothing but the best,” he said. “It was a tough battle, but we pulled it off.”

Mr. Fox will serve out the unexpired term of Anthony B. DiDonato Sr., who died in September. The term ends in May 2014. He said he will resign from the Personnel Board in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

Mr. Marsi’s said his was a “fast and furious campaign,” and despite his loss, “I learned a lot and met some good people. This was my first time. It’s OK. Everyone worked really hard. I had a lot of supporters. We did all we could, knocked on 750 doors. I’m blessed.” Mr. Marsi anticipates another run for office in the future.

Mr. Reich said he ran for the Selectman position in honor of his long time friend “Tony” DiDonato, who had been a Dudley selectman for 39 years. Mr. Reich had previously served as a selectman from 2003 to 2006.

Town Clerk Ora Finn said she was happy with the turnout. “It’s the week before Christmas,” she said. “I was hoping to get over 800, somewhere between 800 and 1200, and that’s just what happened.” Dudley has 6806 registered voters.