HARTFORD – Voters approved all five warrant articles presented at a special town meeting Saturday, even opting to sponsor the controversial Hartford Community Potluck Suppers.

The suppers were approved by a vote of 80 to 9. The related warrant article asked whether voters would “authorize the Pot Luck Suppers to be affiliated with the Town and the use of tax dollars to pay for the operation of Town Hall for these suppers.”

Resident Bob Calawa said voters should ask how much it costs to operate the hall during the suppers and who attends the monthly events.

Because the suppers are potluck, the costs in question would cover utilities.

Calawa estimated that it costs 2 cents per taxpayer to keep the hall heated and lit for an hour.

“The suppers usually run about three hours,” he said. “That makes it 6 cents and hour for the individual (taxpayers).”

Calawa said his calculations assumed there are about 400 taxable properties in Hartford. About 70 to 80 percent of the people attending the suppers are typically senior citizens, he said.

Selectman Lee Holman has been organizing the suppers. She said the town already has at least a $750 surplus in the utilities account, so no additional tax dollars would have to be raised this year.

After several residents spoke, Arlene Nason said she agreed with many that, “The suppers are a wonderful time for people to get to know each other.” She then called the vote.

The voting was done by secret ballot.

An article asking whether the town would change the position of town clerk from being appointed to elected also passed, by a secret ballot vote of 45 to 39.

The article was the result of a petition circulated by former Deputy Town Clerk Lianne Bedard.

Former Town Clerk Monica Mailly, who resigned from her post shortly after the petition was submitted, asked Bedard to explain her actions.

“The reason I submitted this petition is so the town clerk will be accountable for her actions,” Bedard said. “It doesn’t seem the selectmen were supervising her very well.”

Mailly herself said the clerk should be elected, and started talking about her personal difficulties with Holman. She began to state that she had resigned because of the “hate” and “distress” caused by Holman, but resident Arthur Harvey interrupted.

“I don’t believe that personal attacks are in order at this meeting,” he said.

Moderator Kathy Hayes agreed and steered the conversation back toward the warrant article.

Colleen Bullecks said she believed it is the job of the selectmen to appoint a town clerk. “I’m afraid that if we go back to making it an elected person by the townspeople, we will go back to a popularity contest,” she said.

Harvey said there are too few elected positions in Hartford. The town clerk “is potentially as important and powerful in this town as the selectmen,” he said.

After the vote, Mailly immediately announced that she will be running for town clerk in the spring. According to the petition, the clerk shall be elected during the annual town meeting in May.

An article asking whether the voters would authorize “$1,900 to be taken from the Fund Balance to pay for curbside pickup for the Pine Shores Subdivision” also was approved by secret ballot with a vote of 53 to 28.

The special town meeting had begun at 9 a.m. in the town hall. The last vote was called before noon, when the voters by a show of hands authorized the town to move $10,000 from the fund balance to the administration account to pay for training and clerk’s salaries.