Alna has elected Ed Pentaleri first selectman and, with 159 no’s to 152 yes votes, rejected proposed changes to selectmen’s terms and pay, according to results Town Clerk Lisa Arsenault emailed.

In a joint email response Wednesday to a request for comment on the outcome, petitioners Katy Papagiannis and Tom Aldrich said, “We're disappointed, but we’ve heard from many residents that they needed more time to think about the ideas. And that’s a good thing. Perhaps sometime in the future, we can discuss what policies people feel comfortable with so that we don't have to rely on unwritten and unclear oral tradition about how the board should operate.”

Another question stemming from a citizens’ petition – to form a committee next March to look at town government if the other question failed – also lost, with 141 yes votes and 156 no’s. That was former selectman Doug Baston’s. Tuesday night, he said the close votes were a nightmare realized, for it may give residents on both sides of the issues impetus to “continue the fight ... Can we just give it a rest, people, and stop it?” 

Pentaleri, a past selectman and the lone candidate on Tuesday’s ballot, got 222 votes; scattered write-ins, 55. Asked for comment on his election, Pentaleri said Wednesday morning, “I'm grateful for the strong support I received from the community. I'm committed to advancing the best interests of the town, and hope to be able to engage in a constructive, fair and respectful manner with my neighbors on the issues that are important to them.”

He had his swearing-in with Arsenault Tuesday night, he said. His term, Melissa Spinney’s unexpired one, runs out next March. 

In other votes Tuesday, selectmen sought to tap surplus for contingency funds. On the ballot, they recommended $25,000. The question, “To see what sum the town will vote to transfer ...,” passed 191-106.