New faces elected to town council

HOULTON, Maine — Interest in deciding the fate of the state and nation appeared to be high in the Shiretown as a whopping 68 percent of registered voters in Houlton participated in this year’s election.
A total of 2,575 voters cast ballots this year, according to Cathy O’Leary, town clerk. There are 3,809 registered voters in the town. And while that turnout was impressive, O’Leary said there have been years where the percentage has been even higher for presidential elections.
    A total of 533 voters cast their votes via absentee ballots. O’Leary said she was surprised that more individuals did not opt for this method of voting.
No requests for recounts had been received at the town office. O’Leary said Wednesday was the final day such requests could be made.
Two new faces were selected to the Houlton Town Council. Daniel Peabody was the top vote getter, nabbing 1,493 votes. Also elected to the town council was Philip Cloney with 886 votes. Incumbent Mike Jenkins failed in his re-election bid, finishing with 840 votes, followed by Phil Bernaiche, 670 votes; and Carl Lord Jr., 477. Jenkins had served on the council for the past two years, first gaining a spot with the group by filling a seat vacated by Fred Grant, who joined the SAD 29 school board.
Three incumbents were re-elected to the SAD 29 board. Bruce Clark received 2,074 votes, while Lori Holmes garnered 2,035 and Tammy Goetsch collected 1,910. All three were running unopposed.
Three individuals were elected three-year seats on the town’s Board of Budget Review. Named to the board were Dorothy Donahue (1,802), Anthony Delucca (1,668) and Lord Jr. (1,362). Bernaiche received 1,096 votes. Dale Flewelling was elected to a one-year term on the board with 2,204 votes.
The Houlton Water Company elected two individuals to three-year terms on the board of directors. Gary Hagan received 2,131 votes, while Stephen Nelson received 2,109.
Iva Sussman was elected to a five-year term on the Cary Library Board of Trustees with 2,241 votes.