Mixed Feelings Among Wellesley Voters

Two 20-year-olds on different sides of party lines, on independent who sided with the Democrats and a lot of sign holding is what you would have found in Wellesley yesterday.

The election is over and the Democrats won, both locally and nationally, but in Wellesley, not everyone was voting Democrat.

“I don’t like how [President Obama] handled Libya,” David Melton, 20, a student at Boston Baptist said outside of Fiske Elementary School. Melton wanted to oust Obama “Just like you’d fire someone from a job for making a mistake.”

Scott Brown, the Republican Senator who lost his bid for re-elction to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, was obliterated in the state polls, but not in Wellesley. He won the pre-absentee ballot popular vote by 45 votes, according to figures submitted by Town Clerk Kathy Nagle.

Of course there was support on the Democratic side. One of the local candidate’s mothers was in Wellesley for part of the day.

Sheila Kennedy, mother of Democrat Joe Kennedy, who won the MA 4th District Congressional seat by a huge margin over Republican Sean Bielat, was at Sprague Elementary School in the afternoon stumping on behalf of her son.

“I know he’s worked really hard to get here,” she said. “I’m hoping for the best.”

There was a Democratic lean throughout voting in Wellesley on election day. According to the numbers, the Obama-Biden ticket won the popular vote over Romney-Ryan by over 2,000 votes.

Wellesley voter Maria Kuntz said she has voted for candidates on both sides of the aisle, but she went with the president during this election.

"I just don't like what the Republicans stand for anymore...and Romney didn't give us a plan,” she said while exiting the Dana Hall polling place.

Just up the road at Wellesley Library, Curry College student Mary Hayden, 20, had at least one strong opinion regarding yesterday’s ballot.

“I voted Democrat and yes on medical marijuana,” she said. Question 3 passed in the state yesterday, which makes it legal for medical professionals to write prescriptions for marijuana in certain circumstances.

Voter turnout was high in Wellesley and the atmosphere was vivacious and amicable on both sides. Just outside the Wellesley library were two sign holders, one for the Democrats and one for the Republicans, talking with each other.

John Dirlam, holding the Republican signs, and Jay Whittaker, holding signs on behalf of the Democrats, chatted about how they both made a clothing gaffe.

Dirlam wore a blue winter coat while Whittaker sported a bright red jacket.

“Someone just pointed this out to us,” Dirlam said as they both laughed.