As Windham’s town elections came to a close this week, School Board candidate Anita Charles, who lost by 16 votes, said she suffered incidents of harassment and vandalism, which she says could have made the difference in the tightly contested race.

In the week leading up to Tuesday’s election, Charles says her candidate signs were repeatedly removed and stolen from private property. After her physical address was listed in newspaper candidate profiles, her car was keyed. And, on the morning after the election, Charles awoke to find Toby Pennels candidate signs strewn across her driveway. After returning home, the signs had been removed.

In the midst of all this, days before the election, a rumor began to circulate that Charles intended to sue the Windham school district (which Charles discredits as being untrue). She says an anonymous caller leaked the disinformation to the press and local town councilors. Though she believes she knows who is responsible for the rumor, Charles was unwilling to publicly speculate.

“I know specific names of people who have made phone calls to, I suppose, undermine my campaign and my character,” Charles said. “I do think that somebody feels threatened by me.”

This newspaper has yet to confirm these alleged calls, but by press time, no town councilor said they had received calls descrediting Charles.

“Nobody called me about that,” Council Chairman Robert Muir said, “While people have to know what they say to me in private stays in private, I can tell unequivocally that I would tell you if someone had called me in an effort to discredit anyone.”

Councilors Lloyd Bennett, David Tobin and Michael Shaughnessy all denied receiving phone calls as well. Liz Wisecup, David Ennis and Thomas Bartell were unavailable for comment before deadline.

Toby Pennels said he had “no clue” who put his campaign signs in front of Charles’ home.

“I don’t know anything about (the signs), but I do want to say that I am incredibly comlimentary of Anita’s campaign,” Pennels said. “She worked very hard and I just compliment her on what I consider an outstanding campaign. I really admire what she has done.”

Charles became a public figure this fall when she took on the role as spokesperson for a group of parents who were concerned with personnel issues at the Manchester School. After Manchester teacher Elizabeth Boyd resigned, saying that she had been verbally abused by Principal Ronald Cote, Charles and the parents pushed for an investigation into the incident. Cote was cleared of wrongdoing in that investigation by the School Board, but then subsequently resigned, citing health reasons.

Whether or not the incidents of harassment are related to each other, the past or the election may never be known. Despite these alleged hardships, Charles came in just 16 votes shy of a seat on the School Board, losing to third-placed Toby Pennels. Though she didn’t win the seat, Charles says that she is honored by the bipartisan support shown to her during her campaign.

“I’m sad and I’m tired, but I’m proud of my campaign. It’s a real triumph to have come so close,” Charles said. “People from all areas have shown me support.”

Two Toby Pennels candidate signs lay on School Board candidate Anita Charles’ driveway on the morning after Windham’s election. This is one of a series of harassment incidents that Charles has suffered during her candidacy from unknown parties.

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