Despite weak turnouts, Westbrook, Gorham and School Administrative District 6 voters ratified school budgets in elections on Tuesday.
Gorham voters handily approved a $35 million budget, 359-163. Gorham Town Clerk Jennifer Elliott said Wednesday 522 ballots were cast with 12,571 registered voters, representing a 4 percent turnout.
Just 455 Westbrook voters approved a $33,992,591 school budget. The turnout was 3.76 percent of the city’s 12,099 registered voters, according to City Clerk Angela B. Holmes. The budget passed 302 to 153.
The $46.5 million School Administrative District 6 budget unofficially passed overall. Voters in Buxton, Hollis and Standish supported it while voters in Limington and Frye Island defeated it.
In a squeaker, Buxton voters narrowly passed the school budget by 50 votes, 362-312, while nine other ballots were left blank.
Buxton Town Clerk John Myers reported that 683 ballots were cast in the school budget validation referendum from 5,965 registered Buxton voters, representing an 11.45 percent voter turnout.
In other SAD 6 towns, Standish approved the school budget 553-383 and Hollis approved it, 360-181. But, Limington rejected the school budget with 45 voters favoring it while 54 said no. The 99 ballots cast in Limington represented a 4.3 percent turn out of the town’s 2,300 registered voters.
Frye Island voters cast three votes in favor and five opposed to the school budget. The eight ballots cast in Frye Island was 6.5 percent of its 122 registered voters.
In Buxton’s municipal election, several candidates were unopposed. Those elected were Chad E. Poitras, selectman, with 528 votes; two SAD 6 directors, Jean C. Whitney, 528 votes, and Cynthia J. Meserve, 29 write-ins; two Planning Board members, Keith A. Emery, 400, and Christopher L. Baldinelli, 398; and Jacob T. Stoddard received 22 write-ins for the Budget Committee.
A total of 687 ballots were cast in Buxton’s municipal election, representing an 11.5 percent voter turn out.
At 5:30 a.m., Hiram R. Davis was elected town meeting moderator for the 19th consecutive year and he was also chosen moderator for the school budget referendum.
Buxton Town Clerk John Myers, right, administers the oath of office at 5:30 a.m. on June 9 to Hiram Davis, who was elected moderator for the Buxton town meeting that continues at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, at Buxton Town Hall. Residents chose Davis for the 19th consecutive year as town moderator and Davis, in separate balloting, was also elected moderator to preside in Buxton over the School Administrative 6 budget referendum.Staff photo by Robert LowellSend questions/comments to the editors.
