E. Peter Bamber and William J. Plasko Announce Candidacies for Board of Selectmen-September 8, 1978

The political landscape in Norwood is shifting rapidly following the historic recall of three school committee members. Finance Commissioner E. Peter Bamber and Town Moderator William J. Plasko became the first candidates to officially declare their bids for the Board of Selectmen seat left vacant by the late Selectman Joseph W. Wall. The special election is scheduled for October 24 and will coincide with the second wave of school committee recall elections.

Bamber and Plasko Enter the Race

The upcoming contest crosses generational lines, pitting the 46-year-old builder and nine-year Finance Commission veteran against the 26-year-old moderator elected at age 21 in January 1973.

• E. Peter Bamber: Emphasizing his extensive fiscal experience, Bamber announced plans to resign immediately from the Finance Commission to avoid triggering a separate special election for his unexpired term and to clear potential legal hurdles regarding the town charter. Town Clerk Bartley W. Connolly confirmed that Bamber’s resignation ahead of the September 19 nomination deadline would give prospective successors time to file. While Town Counsel Justin C. Barton noted a technical ambiguity in the charter regarding a commissioner’s “term,” Bamber expressed confidence in his legal standing and intends to run on his record. Highlighting his history of “saying no” to ballooning municipal budgets, Bamber expressed concern over rising property tax rates and pledged to “stop spending at its source.”
• William J. Plasko: Pitching himself as offering “a unique combination of youth and experience,” Plasko pledged to heal political divisions stemming from intense school budget battles and to open up the municipal process through broad citizen involvement. Plasko emphasized his commitment to low-keyed, cool management, sensible cost control without waste, and rigorous oversight in hiring the upcoming fire chief and town manager.

Political Fallout from Historic School Committee Recalls

The selectman’s race is intrinsically linked to broader taxpayer unrest across Norwood. In the first recall election in 40 years, held Tuesday, voters ousted three incumbent school committee members—Chairman Henry W. Diggs, Richard W. Kief, and John H. Chisholm—replacing them with Charles Saraca, William Pudsey, and Thomas DiFrancia. The recall was driven by public backlash after the board initially resisted a $618,000 budget cut voted by the town meeting amidst post-“Proposition 13” fiscal conservatism.

The political turmoil will continue on October 24 with a second recall election targeting the remaining four school committee members—Rudith M. Berkowitz, Joan H. Cuff, William F. Egan, and Joseph M. Pentowski—alongside the special selectman election. Town Clerk Connolly estimated that the cost of administering the initial recall election will run between $5,000 and $6,000. With both municipal leadership contests and the second recall appearing on the October ballot, town officials anticipate a significantly larger voter turnout.

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Headline: Bamber and Plasko Enter Race for Vacant Selectman Seat-September 8, 1978

Excerpt: Finance Commissioner E. Peter Bamber and Town Moderator William J. Plasko announce their candidacies for the October 24 special election to fill the late Joseph W. Wall’s selectman seat.

Categories: Norwood History, Municipal Politics, Local Elections, 1978, september 8

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⭐ PART 2B — Featured Image Prompt Suggestions:

• A vintage, macro close-up of a mechanical voting machine lever beside a marked town election ballot.
• An atmospheric line drawing of Norwood Town Hall administrative entrance under autumn lighting.
• A minimalist, symbolic sketch of a ballot box icon intersected with a municipal building silhouette.
• An archival photo style image of local residents reviewing election notices on a town bulletin board in the late 1970s.

Norwood Historical Society Archival Photo Suggestions:

• An archival photograph of Norwood Town Hall and municipal offices from the late 1970s.
• A historical photo of the Norwood Board of Selectmen meeting chamber circa 1978.
• A vintage snapshot of town meeting sessions and election polling locations from the era.

For further research into Norwood’s political history, municipal election filings, and town meeting records from the 1970s, visit the Norwood Historical Society atnorwoodhistoricalsociety.org

or explore archived town reports viaInternet Archive

. Town clerk election returns and selectmen meeting minutes can also be verified through municipal administrative offices.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger