WINSLOW — Change was the theme in Winslow on Tuesday as a slate of political newcomers won election to the Town Council and School Board, ousting three incumbent councilors and a School Board member.

Vote tallies showed that Michael Joseph, Frances Hudson and Adam Lint were successful in their bids for council, while Ashley Powell was elected to the School Board.

In District 1, Joseph was elected to the council with 316 votes. He defeated incumbent council Chairman Peter Drapeau and fellow challenger Doug Crawley, who finished with 115 and 92 votes, respectively.

Joseph, 69, owns Joseph’s Flooring in Winslow and has described himself as a conservative Christian businessman. He ran on a platform of cutting what he describes as “unnecessary spending” in the town’s budget, and has been critical of Drapeau and other councilors for what he describes as a lack of transparency.

Hudson defeated Gary Owen and incumbent Jerry Quirion in the District 3 council race. She received 192 votes, topping Owen’s 112 and Quirion’s 91.

Hudson, 63, is a Winslow resident of nearly 40 years who has built a name as an outspoken critic at council meetings and as administrator of the “What’s Happening in Winslow, Maine?” Facebook group. In social media posts shared to the group, Hudson has called Winslow’s tax rate “outrageous” and said that she wants residents to vote on the town’s budget “the same way we do for the school budget.”

Hudson and Quirion previously squared off in 2020’s election, when Quirion defeated her by just 35 votes.

Adam Lint narrowly unseated incumbent Joseph “Rocky” Gravel in a tight District 5 race, winning 288–245.

Lint, 34, positioned himself as a political newcomer during the campaign. He was born and raised in Winslow, and has said his platform centers on “compassion, camaraderie and local business.” He has been particularly critical of Winslow’s council for how it handled allegations that councilors regularly met outside the public eye to discuss municipal business.

In Winslow’s only contested School Board race, newcomer Powell defeated incumbent Jay McIntire. Powell received 274 votes while McIntire got 202.

Powell, 34, is a self-described “newbie to politics” and mother of six children with some currently enrolled at each of Winslow’s three schools. She worked as an education technician in Waterville and made improving accessibility for disabled students and advocating for parents central to her campaign.

While voters across the state had their interests piqued by statewide referendum questions, Town Clerk Audra Fleury said that local races are what drew Winslow’s voters to the polls. Out of Winslow’s roughly 6,100 registered voters, Fleury said more than 2,400 had filed ballots.

“Our Town Council races for all three of the districts have brought in some people who normally would not have come to vote,” she said. “I think because there’s not any state or federal races, it’s more local stuff.”

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