SKOWHEGAN — Town voters chose Whitney Cunliffe to fill an open seat on the Board of Selectmen in a special election Tuesday.
Whitney Cunliffe, shown in this undated photo, was elected Tuesday in a special election to fill an open seat on the Skowhegan Board of Selectmen. Photo courtesy of Whitney Cunliffe
Cunliffe received 296 votes, according to results released Tuesday night, about 45 minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m.
Amanda Bisol received 128 votes, Ester Franklin received 78 and John Grohs received 13.
The 515 votes counted represent about 9% of Skowhegan’s registered voters. The town had 5,589 registered voters as of Feb. 6, according to the most recent data from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State.
Tuesday’s election was called to fill a vacancy on the five-member select board resulting from the resignation of Charles Robbins III, which was effective Oct. 1.
Cunliffe is set to serve the remainder of the term that Robbins was elected to serve in 2023, through June 2026.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored by the trust you’ve placed in me,” Cunliffe wrote Wednesday on his campaign’s Facebook page, in a letter addressed to “Skowhegan.” “This election was about the future of our community, and with 296 votes, it’s clear that Skowhegan is ready to move forward — together.”
A former Skowhegan restaurant owner and retired certified public accountant, Cunliffe, 60, said ahead of the election in a statement that his main concerns were fiscal responsibility, affordability, community safety, youth education, economic development, homelessness and drugs and transparency.
Cunliffe said he would bring his financial expertise to the elected position and that being retired would allow him to give his attention to the select board.
“We must focus on addressing our town’s most pressing challenges while protecting what makes Skowhegan special,” his campaign’s Wednesday morning Facebook post states. “From stabilizing taxes to fostering thoughtful economic growth, my goal is to balance financial responsibility with the needs of our community, ensuring that Skowhegan remains a vibrant, affordable place for all.”
Cunliffe joins Chairman Paul York, Steven Govoni, Amber Lambke and Elijah Soll on the board.
York and Govoni have terms expiring this June. Lambke and Soll were elected in June 2024 to three-year terms that run through June 2027.
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