HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Town Council welcomed two new members following Tuesday’s elections.
Christopher Robinson and Terry “Joe” McKenna both won three-year terms on the council. The two men ran unopposed. Robinson received 1,480 votes, while McKenna collected 1,437.
The Houlton Town Council unanimously elected Jane Torres as its new chairman during an organizational meeting Wednesday.
(Joseph Cyr)
According to Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary, 2,082 residents cast ballots during the election. There are about 3,666 registered voters in the town, with 57 percent participating in this year’s voting process.
O’Leary said she was not surprised by the high percentage of voters.
“I did feel it was going to be a good turnout from the amount of absentees and new voters registering ahead of time,” she said. “At the polls it was such a steady flow of voters with a long line most of the time. Great that there was so much interest.”
Tammy Goetsch, Lori Holmes and Jessica Milligan Voters elected were elected to the RSU 29 school board for three-year terms. Holmes received 1,657 votes, while Goetsch collected 1,430 and Milligan had 12 as a write-in. Erica Fitzpatrick-Peabody was elected to a two-year term on the board with 83 votes as a write in, while Ellen Askren was elected to a one-year seat with 1,741 votes.
There were no candidates or write-ins for five empty seats on the town’s Board of Budget Review. The town council will appoint individuals to those seats at a later date.
On Wednesday afternoon, the town council held its organizational meeting, to swear in the new councilors and to elect a new chairman. Jane Torres was unanimously voted in as chairman for the next year. She replaces councilor Bill McCluskey as the board’s leader.
