Denise Andrews of Orange takes crowded field of Democrats.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: George Barnes

Denise Andrews of Orange emerged yesterday from a crowded field of Democrats to win the party's nomination for state representative in the 2nd Franklin District.

Ms. Andrews, of Orange, won by 519 votes over her nearest rival, David R. Roulston of Greenfield, receiving 1,490 votes to Mr. Roulston's 971. Roxann Wedegartner, also of Orange, received 746 votes, followed by Lee E. Chauvette with 705. Martin McGuane of Greenfield, who was on the ballot but had withdrawn from the race, received 134 votes.

In November, Ms. Andrews will face Republican Steven Adam and independent/unenrolled candidate Genevieve C. Fraser, both of Orange.

In winning the nomination, Ms. Andrews was top vote-getter in Greenfield, Orange and Erving, while Mr. Roulston won in Gill, Mrs. Wedegartner in Warwick and Mr. Chauvette in Athol.

Ms. Andrews is chief operating officer and managing partner for global development at Legacy Unlimited, an international leadership and diversity consulting firm in Orange. She is a member of the Orange Human Resources Committee and a project coordinator for the Orange Revitalization Partnership. She has also served on the Governor's Diversity Advisory Council.

Among the major issues facing the district is the proposal by Pioneer Renewable Energy Corp. of Cambridge to build a 47 megawatt biomass wood burning plant on 28.5 acres in...