This edition came together for a simple reason: when I went looking for clear information on who was running, it was harder to find than it should have been. If you’ve mostly been piecing it together from lawn signs, this guide is for you. So I built the guide I wish had already existed.

Contested races: Sturbridge School Committee, Select Board, Board of Health (2-year seat)
Uncontested or effectively uncontested: Tantasqua School Committee, Recreation Committee, Library Trustees, Board of Assessors, Constable, Zoning Board of Appeals
Tip: Use the Watch links throughout this guide to jump straight to each candidate’s remarks in the full forum video.

📅 Election Day — Monday, April 13, 2026 📍 Host Hotel Ballroom, Sturbridge 📬 Absentee voting is now open — apply online or at the Town Clerk's office, 308 Main Street 🔗 Add Election Day to Google Calendar

The people elected April 13 will help shape town budgets, school oversight, public health policy, recreation planning, library services, and major long-term decisions like the landfill and recycling center. These races may not make state headlines but their outcomes will be felt in Sturbridge for years.

2 seats open | 3 candidates

Burns has been in Sturbridge since 2012 and is completing her first term on the School Committee, seeking a second. She cited three priorities that drew her to the role originally: communication, advocacy, and stewardship. She serves on the MASC Rural Schools Committee - a statewide group - and said Sturbridge is entitled to rural aid funds it hasn't been receiving. She emphasized her role as supporting strong financial and governance decisions, not dictating curriculum.

▶ Watch: Intro and priorities | Three reasons she's running | Rural funding explanation

Hellyar said she's running to add to the committee, not to run against anyone. Her background spans teaching in rural South Africa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Springfield through Teach for America, teaching at Tantasqua, and teacher development work as a curriculum specialist. She now serves as district director for the Worcester and Hampden Senate District, a role she said helps her keep a pulse on what’s happening at the state level. She has two young children, which she cited as a major reason for wanting to serve.

▶ Watch: Intro and background | Rural aid and Chapter 70 | Why Burgess doesn't get rural aid

Goodwin has worked in education since 2008, starting as a school counselor at Westwood High School and currently serving as guidance department head at Worcester Technical High School. She also serves as Sturbridge’s representative to the Tantasqua School Committee and attends those meetings in that role. She said Sturbridge has a strong school system that families move here for, and noted that she has two children in the district at Burgess. She wants to continue advocating for education funding at the state and federal levels, and pointed to growing funding pressure as a major challenge ahead, including the end of ESSER-era support and broader uncertainty around grants and federal funding.

▶ Watch: Intro and background | Funding concerns | ESSER and future challenges | Enrollment question

2 seats open | 3 candidates

Blanchard was unable to attend because, as the Planning Board’s delegate to the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, he had a required quarterly commission meeting that evening. In a statement read by Bill Hagerty, Blanchard emphasized more than 40 years of municipal experience: 13 years on the Sturbridge Water and Sewer Commission, 17 years on the Select Board, 15 years on the Planning Board, five years as Paxton’s first town administrator, nine years as Palmer’s town manager, and interim administrator or manager roles in several communities. He also pointed to his work on building committees for the public safety complex, Tantasqua Regional High School, Burgess Elementary, and the senior center. His statement argued that experience would be especially valuable as Sturbridge navigates budget pressure, major water and sewer needs, and the transition to a regional dispatch center. He also said he would focus on affordability, local business support, additional playing fields, affordable housing planning, and continued support for police and fire.

▶ Watch: Statement begins | Budget and infrastructure priorities | Closing priorities

Volpe has been in Sturbridge for 38 years and is seeking her second term on the Select Board. She served on the Tantasqua School Committee to better understand the school system's needs, and worked as a firefighter and EMT for the town for years. Public safety is her stated top priority. She said residents often don't see the full demands placed on police and fire until something happens. She also served on Parks and Recreation for 15-plus years and highlighted the ongoing effort to bring more ball fields to town.

▶ Watch: Intro | Public safety focus | Recreation and fields

Phillips and his wife Michelle moved to Sturbridge for the schools and sense of community and have three sons. He described himself as someone who volunteers whenever he sees a need - pointing to 14 years on the Recreation Committee (currently serving as chair), coaching baseball, soccer, and basketball, and serving as vice chair on the Community Preservation Committee. Professionally he was a teacher, former building principal, and currently director of technology in Shrewsbury for over 15 years. He said residents often struggle to find information on the town website and that his IT background makes that a priority to fix. He framed his campaign around community-building, transparency, and bringing fresh eyes to question how things are done.

▶ Watch: Intro | Transparency and website | Fresh eyes approach

Two separate seats are on the ballot:
1 seat open (3-year term) | 1 candidate
1 seat open (2-year term) | 2 candidates

Cocalis has served on the Board of Health since 2008. She highlighted the board's evolution over time: opposing a landfill expansion in Southbridge, securing more staffing, and building the board's operational capacity. She noted the landfill has about five years of capacity remaining and that a joint town effort is coming to evaluate landfill and recycling center options. She also explained the town's tattoo festival revolving fund - revenue from the annual tattoo festival that goes into a reserve available for certain public health emergencies without needing to seek new tax dollars.

▶ Watch: Intro and background | Tattoo festival fund explained | Landfill and recycling committee | Landfill capacity follow-up | Emergency preparedness

Errichetti and her husband moved to Sturbridge about three and a half years ago in search of a quieter, close-knit community. A doctor of public health, she said her career has centered on public health work and that an early interaction with the town’s health department helped spark her interest in serving. She said she would bring analytic thinking, a prevention mindset, and a focus on preparation to the Board of Health, and in the Q&A stressed that “implementation is everything” when it comes to turning good policy into real results.

▶ Watch: Intro and background | Analytic and prevention focus | Policy vs. implementation

McGee and her husband have lived in Sturbridge since 1990 and raised four children here through the school system. She is a physician by training - an internist with additional training in geriatric medicine - who is now semi-retired. She said she now has time to give back to the community that has been such a big part of their lives. She worked during COVID caring for older adults in the community and within nursing homes in Worcester. She said she would bring a physician's perspective and a public health lens focused on trust-building and advocacy and was careful to note she wouldn't try to "medicalize" the role but would offer a different perspective than the other candidates.

▶ Watch: Intro and background | Why she's running | How she'd use her medical background

These races are uncontested or effectively uncontested, but your vote still counts.

Goodwin highlighted his interest in modernizing the computer science program at Tantasqua and evolving technical education to reflect where fields like AI, IT, health, and the trades are heading.

▶ Watch: Ed Goodwin intro and priorities | Academic and technical pathways | Social media and phones | School start time discussion

Shapiro spoke about serving all residents, not just families with children, and mentioned the town recently received a property with potential for fields, trails, and gathering space.

▶ Watch: Jeffrey Shapiro intro | Broader recreation vision | Property and future uses

Gibson Quigley said she has lived in Sturbridge since 1981 and has served in several town roles over the years, including on the Finance Committee, Building Committee, and Planning Board. She said the Library Trustees oversee policies and bylaws, review the budget that goes to Town Meeting, help with long-range planning, and are responsible for the library building itself.

▶ Watch: Sandy Gibson Quigley intro | What Library Trustees do | Building and budget oversight

Jessica Colati works in library preservation and planning at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. She said that experience helps her think about issues like building conditions, space needs, and how library services are changing over time.

▶ Watch: Jessica Colati intro | Biggest challenge: the building | Space and programming needs | Outdoor programming deck | Changing library services

School funding dominated both education races. Rural aid, Chapter 70, ESSER loss, and federal uncertainty came up repeatedly. Every School Committee candidate flagged that the funding picture is getting harder, not easier.

The landfill is no longer a distant problem. Board of Health candidates were direct: the town has roughly five years of landfill capacity left, and real decisions about what comes next are coming soon.

Most candidates ran on service and problem-solving, not ideology. The tone of the night was about experience, communication, and stewardship. Candidates across every race came back to some version of the same point: residents want information that's easier to find and easier to understand.

📅 Town Election: Monday, April 13, 2026 | Host Hotel Ballroom 🔗 Add to Google Calendar

📅 Annual Town Meeting: Monday, April 27, 2026 | Sturbridge Town Hall 🔗 Add to Google Calendar

This voter guide only works if it reaches voters. Forward it to a neighbor, especially anyone newer to town who might not know who’s on the ballot.

The more residents who are informed, the better our local democracy works.

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🎥 Watch the Full Meet the Candidates Recording

🗳️ Absentee Ballot Information: Town Clerk's Office

Related reading: Sturbridge’s FY27 Budget Has $9 of Surplus. Here’s What That Means.

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