NEW GLOUCESTER — A former selectman and a Budget Committee member earned seats on the Selectboard Tuesday after competing in a four-way race.
George Colby Sr. and Tammy Donovan defeated Peter Bragdon and Stephen Hathorne in the race for two three-year Selectboard seats June 11.
Donovan won 438 votes, Colby, 364, Bragdon, 299 and Hathorne, 247.
Terms are up for current Selectboard member Lenora Conger and Vice Chairman Steven Libby, and neither sought reelection.
The charter commission referendum question was defeated 387-391. The question asked residents if they supported the establishment of a Charter Commission for the purpose of revising the municipal charter or establishing a new municipal charter.
Donovan is currently a member of the Budget Committee but will be ineligible to serve while on the Selectboard, except as a liaison.
She said she is “excited and proud of the residents of New Gloucester to turn out the way they did. That means more to me than who won. It speaks loudly to citizen involvement, and I’m looking forward to improving on that.”
Voter turnout in New Gloucester was 14% on Tuesday.
Donovan also looks forward to “being part of the process and getting the word out to the community on what’s going on.”
Colby is a former Selectman and Selectboard chairman and currently serves as the chairman of the Budget Committee and the Land Management Planning Committee.
He said the election went “pretty much as (he) expected.”
“I look forward to getting into the position,” he said.
Colby said he is pleased that the charter commission referendum failed, saying, “It was started as a personal vendetta against two selectmen.”
“The problem is a charter is not a concrete thing. The charter is whatever the charter commission writes, so it could be anything. There really wasn’t any objectivity to it at all,” he said.
Regarding his defeat in the Selectboard race, Hathorne said “I’m disappointed.”
He was also the chairman of the group New Gloucester Citizens for a Town Charter and said “The vote was very close, and that tells me that at least half of the town that voted are not happy and would like to have change in their government.”
Bragdon could not be reached for comment.
Also on Tuesday, Misty Coolidge and Nichole Stevens won three-year seats on the SAD 15 School Board with 469 and 436 votes, respectively. Laura Sturgis also won a three-year seat after receiving 106 write-in votes.
Incumbent and current Treasurer Vaughn Hardesty retained a three-year seat as a Water District trustee with 65 votes.
The $27.8 million school budget was approved 495-270.
Jane Vaughan can be reached at 780-9103 or at jvaughan@keepmecurrent.com.
Peter Bragdon, left, Tammy Donovan and George Colby Sr. stand outside the fire station where voting took place Tuesday in New Gloucester.
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