The “town within a town” that is the Borough of Newtown, an area centered around Main Street at the heart of the community, has 1,280 voters who were eligible to cast ballots on Monday, May 4. Borough elections for a completely unopposed slate of 13, however, drew just 35 electors who cast ballots at the Newtown Municipal Center between 6 am and 8 pm that day.

But it only would have taken a single complete ballot to elect or reelect the slate topped by incumbent Borough Warden James O. Gaston, Sr, who also serves the entire community as the sole Democrat on the town’s Board of Selectman.

Mr Gaston, who won his fifth two-year term, was appreciative of the nearly three dozen borough voters who did make the time to participate in the biennial vote.

“I would like to thank the residents of the borough for their continued trust and confidence in me as warden,” he said in a written reply to a request for comment from The Bee. “I believe the unopposed slate of candidates reflects a positive recognition for the good work our borough officials do in balancing historic preservation with such successes as sidewalks, Hook & Ladder, street lights, fire hydrants, zoning, commercial development, and the Historic District.”

Borough voters also endorsed Anthony Baiad, Jr, William Lucas III, and Joseph Maher III as burgesses; Ann LoBosco as borough clerk; Treasurer Paula Brinkman; and Tax Collector Jodie S. Enriquez. John Madzula was elected to the Borough Board of Assessment Appeals; David Francis and Susan Filan were seated as zoning commissioners; Robert Connor, Jr, was elected as a zoning alternate; with Mary Thomas and Jane Maher winning seats on the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals.

Mr Gaston said those elected will continue to work hard maintaining “what The New York Times characterized as the borough’s ‘pristine early American elegance.’ We must be constantly vigilant,” he added, “should it be lost, it’s gone forever.”

This marks the second borough election in a row that the slate of officials faced no opposition. Following the 2013 contest, Democratic Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton said this election on average only draws about 50 voters. She said borough elections are held in the municipal center at Fairfield Hills with registrars staff handling some of the polling responsibilities instead of per diem workers using a separate location, saving taxpayers approximately $3,000.