By SANDY McGEE

BLACKSTONE — A large number of Blackstone residents are expected to head to the polls this Monday for the annual town election.

Blackstone Town Clerk Marianne E. Staples said that 5,891 residents are currently registered to vote.
“I do expect a big turnout,” Staples said. “This year, the campaigning has been more intense. They (candidates) are trying harder to fill the amount of open seats. There is definitely spirit in their campaigning.”
Polls will be open on Monday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations: Precinct 1 at the Blackstone Senior Center, 15 St. Paul St.; Precinct 2, St. Theresa Parish, 630 Rathbun St.; and Precinct 3 in the Municipal Center’s meeting room, 15 St. Paul St.
Several campaign signs have sprung up throughout Blackstone in the past few weeks. A few newcomers, incumbents and well-known former town officials are campaigning to fill the following open town posts.
Two unexpired terms are up for grabs on the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee.
Michael J. Buckley of Blackstone, formerly of Millville and a former member of the committee, is running for an unexpired School Committee term, which is set to expire in 2010.
Running against Buckley for the unexpired term set to conclude in 2010 is Peter J. Olson and Catherine A. Frend.
Diane C. Robin is running unopposed for the other vacated School Committee term, which is set to expire in 2011.
Incumbent School Committee member Lynn M. Landry is running unopposed for her second full-term on the board. Landry, a registered nurse, has served on the regional board since 2004.
A write-in option for the Millville seat on the regional School Committee will also be on the ballot. The candidate selected for this full four-year term is required to be a Millville resident.
A race for two separate, full-term seats on the Blackstone Board of Selectmen is heating up. If elected to either full-term, the members will each serve three years on the board.
Incumbents Constance D. Perreault, who currently serves as chair of the five-member board, and the board’s clerk and longtime member Robert J. Dubois have both returned their nomination papers.
Dubois has served on the Board of Selectmen since 1986, including serving as chairman from 1992 to 2002.
“I have served during the good times and the bad, and right now we are going through very difficult financial times,” wrote Dubois in a press release. “I believe that with my experience, we can get through this if we work together.”
Challenging the two incumbents are Jacalyn G. Miner and John M. Wozniak, an attorney who practices law in Milford.
An unexpired term on the Board of Selectmen is also up for grabs. The candidate elected to this post will only serve the remainder of the term, which is set to expire in 2009.
Thomas J. Bik, former chairman of the Planning Board, and Hubert N. Arsenault, a member of the Cable Advisory Committee, have both returned papers for the unexpired selectmen term.
Charles J. Sawyer, a former longtime member of the Board of Selectmen, is also running for this unexpired selectmen term. Sawyer served on the Board of Selectmen from 1995 until 2007.
Running unopposed are the following individuals: Carole A. Whiteley, who is running for re-election to the Tax Assessor board; Lynn J. Morin, re-election to the Blackstone Housing Authority; and William T. Walsh, re-election to the Board of Health.
Newcomer Yvette G. Remillard of Blackstone, a longtime registered nurse, is running for the unexpired term on the Board of Health. The seat was left vacant after the recent resignation of board member Kevin J. Ryan.
A race has also begun for a three-year term on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Both Gary James DelGizzi and incumbent member Kathleen Joyce have returned papers for the single seat. The term is set to expire in 2011.
Also running for town posts unopposed are Town Moderator Frederick J. Stone, who is campaigning for another three-year term, and Paul E. Marvelle, who is running for a five-year term on the Blackstone Planning Board.
For more information or to confirm a polling location, visit the town Web site at www.townofblackstone.com and click on the town clerk link, followed by the link entitled, “What precinct do I vote in?”