Westbrook voters re-elected incumbent Mayor Bruce Chuluda over outgoing City Council President Jim Violette Tuesday by a margin of a little more than 200 votes.

Chuluda defeated Violette by a vote of 2,760 to 2,520. In Ward 1, voters chose Violette over Chuluda 441 to 426. Ward 2 voters favored Chuluda 493 to 393. Chuluda also defeated Violette in Ward 3, 407 to 332. Violette won Ward 4 by a vote of 338 to 316, and Chuluda took Ward 5 by a vote of 734 to 698. Voters casting ballots at City Hall also favored Chuluda 384 to 318.

Getting the results at Thatcher’s Restaurant, Chuluda was greeted by a kiss from his wife and a big hug from his daughter. He said he was estatic at the result.

“I’m pleased to have the support of the voters,” he said. “It says people like what I’ve done, and they agree with my plan to move the city forward.”

At the Democratic reception at the American Legion Post on Dunn Street, Violette was disappointed at the result, but he was in good spirits. “I just congratulate Bruce and everybody who’s won, and I hope they move the city forward in a positive direction for the next two years,” he said.

While he did not win the mayor’s race, Violette said he was pleased the Democrats won a majority of the seats on the City Council. “I’m very proud of the Democratic party,” he said. “The party worked extremely hard.”

The biggest surprise of the night came in the race for the two at-large seats on the City Council. Eighteen-year-old Westbrook High School senior Michael Foley, a Democrat, won a majority of the votes cast with longtime Councilor John O’Hara, a Republican, finishing second.

Foley won a seat on the council with 2,582 votes, while O’Hara got 2,497 votes. The other two candidates in the race, Alex Stone, a Democrat, and Kevin Crocker, a Republican, finished with 1,838 and 1,786 votes, respectively.

In Ward 1, voters picked incumbent Councilor Brendan Rielly, a Democrat, over Republican challenger Joan Boucher, 758 to 308. Ward 4 voters chose Democrat Dorothy Aube over Republican Darryl Wright by a vote of 483 to 294. In Ward 5, incumbent Democratic Councilor Suzanne Joyce was the voter’s pick over Republican Connie Smith by a vote of 1,028 to 547.

In addition to the contested races, several candidates in Westbrook were running unopposed. In Ward 2, incumbent Councilor Drew Gattine will be returning for his second two-year term on the council. In Ward 3, Councilor Ed Symbol will be beginning his first full term on the council. Symbol was appointed to the council in September to fill the term of Gary Groves.

There were no contested races for any of the three available seats on the School Committee. School Committee Chairwoman Colleen Hilton will be returning in her at-large seat. Ward 4 School Committee member Mary Hall will also be returning.

There will also be a new face on the School Committee. Jack Gorsuch ran unopposed for the Ward 3 seat. This will be Gorsuch’s first term as a School Committee member. Additionally, longtime City Clerk Barbara Hawkes will also be returning for her final two-year term as city clerk.

Voter turnout stayed at a healthy pace all day in Westbrook as the municipal elections as well as referendum Question 1 brought many voters out to the polls. About 90 minutes before the polls closed on Tuesday night, Deputy City Clerk Ruthie Noble said she had seen a steady stream of voters as she made her rounds of the polling places during the day.

Noble also said the City Clerk’s office had received a large number of absentee ballots in the days leading up to the election, an indication that there was high voter interest in the election.

//////While the mood was one of joy at the _____________ headquarters at ______________, there was also a sense of relief at the end of a long campaign. ////

On Election Day, candidates stood at the entrances of the various polling places around the city greeting voters as they came in. The candidates said they were enjoying meeting the voters, but most were also looking forward to the end of a long campaign.

Outside the gym at the Wescott Junior High School where he had been greeting Ward 2 voters, Violette said he was anxiously awaiting the close of the polls. He said while he has been having a good time running for mayor, he was ready for the campaign to be over. With about four hours to go until the close of the polls, Violette said he was just waiting for the results to come in.

“By 8:30, I’ll know,” he said.

Shaking voter’s hands outside the Prides Corner Congregational Church, Chuluda was optimistic. “It’s going great,” he said as he paused to greet voters coming in to vote. “I think it’s been a very positive day, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the night.”

Standing in the hallway of St. Hyacinth’s parish hall, Wright said he was pleased with the turnout. “It’s been very positive,” he said.

Wright said he was looking forward to the polls closing and getting the results, though he was taking a wait and see attitude. “Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “We’ll deal with it afterwards.”

Aube joined Wright greeting voters at St. Hyacinth’s for much of the day. She said she had been having fun meeting everyone who came down and voted. “It’s been fun being down here with Darryl and chitchatting with everyone who is coming in,” she said.

Greeting voters in the gym at Wescott Junior High School in the late afternoon, Boucher said she felt the day was going “great.”

Boucher said she was enjoying being part of the political process, but it was vastly different experience standing there as a candidate than it is as a voter. She said she had heard from a great many people that she had never met before who had seen her picture in the newspaper or seen her on television. She said it gave her a nice feeling to have so many people come up to her and speak to her.

Standing next to Boucher, Rielly said he was pleased with the voter turnout. “It’s been good,” he said. “The beginning of the day was very light, which was surprising.”

Rielly said he had a good response from all of the voters he has met while campaigning around the city. “It’s been going well,” he said. “I’m optimistic.”

Joyce said she had been outside the polls in Ward 5 since 6:45 Tuesday morning and there had been a steady turnout of voters all day. “It’s been a great response,” she said

Smith said she had been enjoying her first campaign for office, though she was ready for the long election day to be over with. “I’ve been here since 7 a.m. and it’s been constant,” she said with a tired smile. “It’s been a long day.”

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