In the fickle world of local politics, it's unusual for the make up of any elected board to remain unchanged for very long. Four years together is almost unheard of.

But such is the case for the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen. For the third straight year, incumbents have rolled to easy victories in the municipal election, ensuring that the five-member board will remain intact.

Unofficial tallies (not including absentee ballots) show that Selectman David Gay was far and away the top vote-getter with 2,600 votes. Selectman Scott Wilson was second with 2,195, followed by Ken Miano (1,572) and Bob Marcin (1,155). Remarkably, there were also 1,324 "blanks", meaning that people either voted for just one candidate or didnt't vote for anyone.

Gay said he was gratified by the results and the endorsement of Tewksbury residents.

"It was pretty exciting (Saturday)," he said. "I guess I would take (the results) as support for the board. People must be happy with the job we're doing."

Gay said he was looking forward to continuing to work with his fellow board members on the major issues facing the town and was pleased that Wilson was also re-elected.

"I think we're working on a number of issues that need to move forward," he said. (Keeping the board intact) makes it easier to go forward. No one needs to be educated on the issues."

Wilson's victory appered to show the ability of Tewksbury voters to separate the candidate from the issues. As chairman of the Special Act Charter Committee, Wilson has come under criticism from those who oppose the SACC's recommendation to replace Open Town Meeting with a Town Council form of government. It's an issue Wilson and Gay strongly disagree about.

Wilson has also been a vocal proponent of Question 1 on Saturday's ballot, which asked voters to support a $1.93 million debt exclusion for the construction of an expanded athletic complex project. Question 1 was shot down by voters by a 2-1 margin. The issue did not prove to be an albatross for Wilson but he did express disappointment that the question failed.

"I'm disappointed, I'm not going to lie," said Wilson. To be honest i would have rather lost and have the field question pass. I really feel that field is something that can bring people together. The high school is the first part but that field is another part of it."

Still, Wilson said he is thankful to be re-elected and is looking forward to continuing his work on the board.

"I'm excited to get back to work," he said.

For Miano, a political rookie, the loss was disappointing but he took solace in a strong third place finish.

"That's pretty good for my first time out. It was a great campaign and a very humbling experience for me," said Miano. "I got to learn a lot about a new part of my town and I got support from places that I didnt expect. David (Gay) and Scott (Wilson) were very helpful ... kind of helping the rookie out."

Miano said he is unsure if he will run for office again. He said he did not plan to run against either Selectman Todd Johnson or Selectwoman Anne Marie Stronach if they run for re-election in 2013. However, he said he might consider running if either or both of the incumbents opted not to run.