By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2,170 or one-third of the 6,061 registered Caribou voters cast their votes on four state referendum questions, a city referendum regarding the adoption of the amended City Charter and voted candidates into (three) three-year terms and (one) one-year term on the Caribou City Council; two candidates to 3-year terms on the RSU 39 Board of Education and filled one three-year term on the Jefferson Cary Hospital Fund Board.
Elected to fill the three-year term seats on the Caribou City Council were Gary Aiken, 994; Mary Kate Barbosa, 884 and Bryan Thompson, 1182. Philip McDonough with 1,627 votes will fill the one-year city council position.
Dale Gordon, 1652; and Mary Bragdon White, 1565; were elected to seats on the RSU 39 Board of Education and Kevin Barnes, 1861; was voted to a seat on the Jefferson Cary Hospital Fund Board.
Other candidate results included: David Genthner, 301; Eric Gustin, 305; and Norma Milton, 590;
Caribou citizens approved the revised City Charter by a 1,310-658 margin.
Statewide, voters gave their approval to a people’s veto and a constitutional amendment, but shot down two proposed casino and racino questions.
Question 1, which asked voters if they wanted to reject a new law that required voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election, passed by nearly 61 percent. A total of 233,378 voted “yes,” while 153,231 voted “no.” In Caribou, voters approved Question 1 by a narrower margin as 1,202 (56 percent) voted “yes,” while 948 voted “no.”
Question 2, which asked voters if they supported a casino and slot machines in Lewiston, failed 174,018 to 211,705. Caribou voters rejected the question 1,044 to 1,102 (52 percent). Voters in Limestone favored the gambling measure, 240 (59 percent) to 165. Stockholm also approved of the measure, 47-40.
Question 3, which asked voters if they supported a casino with table games and slot machines in Lewiston, failed 140,942 to 244,673. In Caribou, the question failed 936 to 1,209 (57 percent). Again, Limestone voters OKed the Lewiston project by a 210-195 margin.
Question 4, which asked voters if they supported a constitutional amendment to change the years in which political redistricting takes place, passed at the state level 193,826 to 172,807; but in Caribou the question failed 1,022 to 1,028 (50.1 percent).
