A voter casts a ballot Tuesday at James A. Bragoli Memorial Gym at Gardiner Area High School. Throughout the region, residents weighed in on local budgets, races and more. See CentralMaine.com for updated results. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Buy this Photo

Voters across the Augusta area went to the polls Tuesday to vote on school budgets, municipal races and other community questions.

Here is a roundup of unofficial results, as reported by municipal clerks:

MAINE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT 11

Voters approved the $26.84 million budget for Gardiner-based MSAD 11, 207-106.

GARDINER

Gardiner passed the MSAD 11 budget with 85-26 in favor. For the adult education budget, 89 voted in favor and 22 against.

Advertisement

RANDOLPH

Randolph passed the MSAD 11 budget with 36-7 in favor. The town also passed the adult education budget with 39 in favor and three against.

PITTSTON

Pittston had a close count for the MSAD 11’s budget, with 41 voting in favor of the budget and 40 against. As for the adult education budget, it did not pass in Pittston, with 40 in favor and 41 against.

WEST GARDINER

West Gardiner had 45 votes in favor and 33 against, and 48 in favor of and 30 against the adult education budget.

Advertisement

REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 38

The school budget for Maranacook schools RSU 38 was approved 883-240.

MANCHESTER

Manchester voted 219-52 in favor of the RSU 38 budget.

Additionally, Doug Ide and Dawn Kliphan were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Selectmen, with 177 and 164 votes, respectively. Scott Lyon and Matt Galletta were elected to three-year terms as Sanitary District trustees, with 23 and 16 votes, respectively. and Dennis Ruffing was elected to the RSU 38 board of directors.

READFIELD

Advertisement

Readfield voters approved the RSU 38 budget 381-130

Carol Doorenbos was elected for a three-year term on the Select Board, with 324 votes. Sean Keegan received 275 votes and Aaron Neily received 233. Patricia Gordon received 375 votes, and was elected for a three-year term on the RSU 38 board of directors. Shawn Roderick trailed close behind, with 338 votes.

Voters passed the town’s $6.95 million budget, which represents a $429,789 increase to last year’s $6.52 million budget.

All but one of the 42 articles on the Town Meeting warrant passed. Article 38, which would amend and clarify the town’s existing land use ordinance, including clarifying the town’s stance on nonconforming structures, did not pass.

MT. VERNON

Mt. Vernon approved the RSU 38 budget 132-28.

Advertisement

Voters elected Anna Libby for a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, with 133 votes. Jonathan Railo received 23 votes.

Catherine Jacobs won a three-year term on the RSU 38 board of directors, with 135 votes. Mary Ann Libby, Tyler Dunn, and Bo Jesperson all tied with three write-in votes for a single two-year term on the board. As of Wednesday, the town was in the process of contacting Libby, Dunn and Jesperson to determine who will hold this seat.

Mary Ann Coakley received three write-in votes, the most among others in the running, for a three-year term on the Elementary Advisory Board.

WAYNE

Wayne approved the RSU 38 school budget 151-30.

Voters elected Amy Cushman Black and Stan Davis to three-year terms on the Selectboard, with 164 and 160 votes, respectively. James Perkins was elected for a five-year term on Budget Committee, with 160 votes. Thereasa M. Kerchner was elected to a three-year term on the local school board, with 160 votes, and Keltie Beaudoin was elected to a three-year term on the RSU 38 board of directors, with 109 votes.

Advertisement

Residents also passed a $1.3 million municipal budget, up $97,550 from last year’s budget of $1.21 million.

SOMERVILLE

Somerville residents passed every item put before them in secret ballot voting on the annual Town Meeting warrant, including spending proposals that make up a $583,000 town budget that is up from this year, but due to increased revenues is expected to allow the tax rate to remain about what it is now: $20.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The closest vote was 78-71 in favor of not providing taxpayers with any discount on prepaid taxes, which the warrant said was a recommendation of the town’s auditor.

Elected to local offices: Incumbent Selectman Chris Johnson, with 87 votes, to Willard Pierpont’s 55 write-in votes; Deborah Myers to the Regional School Unit 12 board of directors, with 129 votes; and Willard Pierpont as road commissioner, with 112 votes.

FARMINGDALE 

Advertisement

Selectman Wayne Kilgore was reelected, with 171 votes. He ran unopposed.

LITCHFIELD

Clarence Gowell III was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, with 162 votes. Mark Russell received 123 votes.

Kristy Ouellette was elected to a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 4 board of directors, with 166 votes. Joan Thomas received 113 votes.

Joan Thomas, who ran unopposed, was elected to a three-year term as academy trustee, with 235. Elton Wade, who also ran unopposed, was elected to a three-year term on the town Budget Committee, with 263 votes.

Litchfield’s ballot also included four referendum questions, all passed by voters:

Advertisement

• Question 1, which asked if voters would approve the sale of liquor on days other than Sunday, passed 249-54.

• Question 2, which asked about the sale of liquor on Sundays, passed 236-65.

• Question 3, which asked if the town should secure a loan to not exceed $4.4 million for up to a 20-year term for the purpose of reconstructing town-owned roads and bridges, passed 159-144.

• Question 4 asked if voters would approve a loan of up to $2 million for up to seven years to match the town’s share of state, federal, and nonprofit grants for road and bridge reconstruction. It passed 205-95.

MONMOUTH

Monmouth voters elected Kent Ackley to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, with 396 votes. Leanne Burnham, who ran unopposed, received 596 votes for a three-year term on the RSU 2 board of directors. Pamela Kelley, who also ran unopposed, received 600 votes for a three-year term as Cumston Library Trustee.

Advertisement

Voters accepted Monmouth’s $3.36 million municipal budget, which is up $284,521 from last year’s $3.36 million budget.

RICHMOND

O’Neil LaPlante did not win reelection to the Board of Selectmen. Randy Bodge won the race, with 257 votes, and Brian York won the second spot, with 333 votes. LaPlante received 158 votes, and Robert Howe 182 votes.

Article 27 — “Amendments made to the town of Richmond Land Use Ordinance” and “Official Town Zoning Map” — did not pass, with 281 voting against it and 239 in favor. The 2021 Food Sovereignty Ordinance passed, with 368 votes for and 150 against. 

Every other article on the warrant passed, confirming the $2.58 million budget.

CHELSEA

Advertisement

Chelsea elected a new selectman, Jason Mills, who ran uncontested

DRESDEN

John Rzada won reelection to his spot on the Select Board, receiving 177 votes, and Kathryn Marseglia will keep her spot on the Regional School Unit 2 board of directors, having received 127 votes.

Appendum: This roundup has been corrected with results for the Litchfield race between Clarence Gowell III and Mark Russell. The town initially provided incorrect results. 

Copy the Story Link

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.