WESTBROOK – Candidates in Westbrook’s four contested municipal races are making their final campaign push this week, leading up to the state referendum and municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Voting hours are 7 a.m.-8 p.m. at these voting locations:
Ward 1: Fred C. Wescott Community Center, 426 Bridge St.; Wards 2, 3 and 4: Westbrook Armory, 120 Stroudwater St.; Ward 5: Prides Corner Congregational Church, 235 Pride St.
Westbrook’s mayoral race is among three candidates: incumbent Democrat Colleen Hilton, Republican Ernest Porell, and James Tranchemontagne, an independent.
In the race for City Council there are three contested seats. In Ward 4, Democrat Ann Peoples, unenrolled candidate Gary Rairdon, and Republican Susan Rossignol are vying for one seat, a two-year term. Incumbent Dottie Aube is not running.
In Ward 2, incumbent Democrat Victor Chau faces Republican challenger Matt Maloney for a three-year term, a rematch of the 2011 election.
For the City Council’s at-large, two-year seat, Republican incumbent John O’Hara, who has served for 16 years, is being challenged by Democrat Veronica Bates.
This election marks his last time all seven council seats will be up for election at the same time, as voters approved a city charter change last year to stagger council elections and lengthen councilors’ terms from two years to three. In order to make the transition, four councilors who win election next month will serve three-year terms and three will serve two-year terms.
The remaining seats on both the City Council and School Committee are uncontested: For City Council, Brendan Rielly, the Democratic councilor in Ward 1; Paul Emery, Ward 3 Democrat; Mike Sanphy, Ward 5 Democrat; and Mike Foley, Democrat, filling the at-large, three-year seat. Emery’s term would be for two years, while the other uncontested seats are three-year terms.
School Committee seats include at-large incumbent Suzanne Joyce, and two newcomers, Noreen Poitras from Ward 3 and Mike Popovic from Ward 4, will take over seats now held by Ed Symbol and Mary Hall, respectively.
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