COVENTRY –– Kerry Keement made history on Tuesday night by becoming the first woman elected to the Coventry Selectboard during a special Town Meeting.
Keement defeated Scott Briere by a vote of 59 to 31 in a runoff election after neither candidate secured a clear majority in the original vote held during the regular Town Meeting in March.
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The open selectboard position was initially vacated by Dave Gallup, who resigned after the 2023 Town Meeting. Dan Webster was appointed to fill the remaining two years of Gallup’s term but subsequently won his own spot on the board at the 2024 Town Meeting, leaving the position vacant once again.
She is a lifelong resident of Coventry.
“I grew up on the Airport Road, moving to Rt 14 in 1988,” Keement said. “My grandparents and parents lived in Coventry and now my children and grandchildren live here. I’m excited to embark on this journey to work with a group of fantastic people, Scott Morley, Dan Webster, Deb Tanguay, Matt Maxwell, Dave Barlow, to name a few. A great big thank you to everyone that came out to this special meeting and voted.”
In the original March vote, Keement received 38 votes, Briere 37, and Steve Lamos 9, necessitating the runoff between the two top vote-getters.
She will hold the position for approximately 10 months until the next Town Meeting in 2025 when the seat will be up for election again.
Her victory marks a significant milestone for the town of Coventry, as she becomes the first woman to hold a seat on the selectboard in the town’s history.
