HOULTON, Maine – In Houlton, voters cast ballots in the local election for several open seats on the town council and school board.
Voting began early in the Aroostook County town on Tuesday and it was running steady with lines at the polling location throughout the day, according to town clerk Khylee Wampler.
By noon 662 residents had voted and when polls closed 2,730 voters, including absentee, had cast their ballots out of nearly 4,000 registered voters, Wampler said.
Three candidates were elected to three open 3-year term seats on the Houlton School Board.
Candidate Mark Lipscombe, who was appointed by the Houlton Town Council to an open seat earlier this year, won a 3-year term with 1,288 votes. Candidates Kelly Johnson, with 1,478 votes and Theresa Lynn Shannon, with 1,513 votes, also won school board seats.
Additionally, write-in candidate Chris Robinson, with 43 votes, won an open 2-year seat.
Two candidates elected to two open 3-year seats on the seven-member Houlton Town Council.
Incumbent Edward Lake, with 1,596 votes, won a second 3-year term. Erin Matthews, with 1,796 votes, also won a council seat for a 3-year term.
“I am eager to be a voice for our community and have recently felt the need to do something to try and make our community better,” Matthews said.
Both Lake and Matthews, said that economic development and revitalization is important to the town.
Write-in candidates, Susan Tortello ( 14 votes) and David Gates (14 votes) were elected to 1-year terms on the Board of Budget Review along with James Brown who was elected to a 3-year term with 55 votes.
With 2,199 votes, Forrest Barnes, was elected to a 5-year term on the Cary Library Board of Trustees.
The majority of Houlton voters were opposed to statewide referendum question 5 – changing the state flag to the Pine Tree flag – in a 1,878 to 712 vote.
Local votes on the other statewide referendum questions were in favor of question 1– $5,000 limit for some political donations – 1,703 to 837; question 2 – $25 million research and development bond – 1,304 to 1,240; and question 4 – $30 million trails bond – 1,417 to 1,115. They were opposed to question 3 – $10 million historic buildings restoration bond – 1,301 to 1,240.
