Election 2009: Houlton picks officials Mixed results statewide

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Nearly half of all registered voters in Houlton turned out for the Nov. 3 election that filled two council seats, three school district seats, three budget review slots, a trustee for the Cary Library and two directors of the water company. Houlton is the only town reporting a municipal election in the  area.
Houlton speaks
    Out of 4,227 eligible registered voters 2,110 Houlton residents cast ballots in what Election Warden and Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary termed “a good turnout, especially in an off-year election.”
    The voting results from the Town Office are as follows: Town Councilors (two for three-year terms)— Nancy Ketch 1,596; Frederick Grant 1,482; Philip Bernaiche 716. SAD 29 Directors (three for three-year terms) — Bruce Clark 1,600; Lori Holmes 1,515; Tammy Goetsch 1,159; Paul Cleary 1,136. Houlton Water Company Directors (two for three-year terms) — Gary Hagan 1,845; Gary Severson 1,794. Board of Budget Review (three for three-year terms) — Galen Wilde 1,704; Carl Lord 1,584; Dana LaPointe (write-in candidate) 42. Cary Library Board of Trustees (one for five-year term) — Forrest Barnes 1,749.
Statewide, local voting
    Voters in southern Aroostook may have been of like mind on many issues, but they were out-of-step with fellow Mainers on others.
    Houlton, like the electorate in neighboring towns, overwhelmingly rejected the controversial law that permitted same-sex marriage. For example, Houlton voted 1,455-633 for repeal of the law, a more than two-to-one margin. Hodgdon voted 436-71 to repeal,  a six-to one margin.
    But statewide, the people’s veto of the “gay marriage” law passed in a much closer vote, even after outgoing Governor John Baldacci spent some of his remaining political capital in what was ultimately a losing battle, this time around. Proponents of same-sex marriage vow to revisit the issue. Some supporters of the repeal still had ‘Vote yes on #1” signs displayed on their front lawns days after the election.
    Area voters may have helped put another nail in the TABOR coffin. But, it could still spring wide open in the future. TABOR would have imposed spending limits on the Legislature and municipal governments. Houlton voted against TABOR II 1,325-723; Monticello, 201-114.
    Also trounced was a measure to cut excise tax on some vehicles. It would have sheared thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars from municipal budgets. The council’s warnings on the impact of cutting excise taxes on certain vehicles with its budgetary ramifications hit home with Houlton voters. They said ‘no’ by a nearly three-to-one margin of 1,517-536. In New Limerick the vote was closer — 191-67.
    But, on repeal of the school consolidation law, rural communities were outvoted by urban areas leaving that statute in place, reflecting the power of large densely populated cities.
    Every town in the Pioneer Times circulation area voted overwhelmingly for repeal. Houlton voters cast 1,312 ballots for repeal, 736 against. Smyrna voted for repeal 86-24; Moro Plantation 20- 1.
    The medical marijuana citizen initiative got voter approval statewide in a closer vote with regulation of the drug’s distribution to be established. Houlton voted against the measure 1,150-918; Island Falls, 217-152.
    A $71 million-plus transportation bond issue won voter approval but a constitutional amendment to increase the time official have to certify signatures on direct-initiative petitions did not.
Unofficial statewide results (99 percent of precincts reporting)
Repeal same-sex marriage law: Yes — 299,808; No — 267,785.
Decrease vehicle excise tax: No — 415,569; Yes — 145,554.
Repeal school consolidation law: No — 318,244; Yes — 227,062.
Require voter approval for tax increases (TABOR II): No — 335,228; Yes — 221,832.
Maine Medical Marijuana Act: Yes — 330,823; No — 232,992.
Highway bond issue: Yes — 362,437; No — 191,802.
Constitutional amendment: No — 284,074; Yes — 259,837.