Brunswick residents vote at the junior high school at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2. C. Thacher Carter / The Times Record
Erica Carley Harris won the only contested position on the Brunswick ballot this year, a District 3 school board seat that four people were looking to take.
Official results from Wednesday show that Harris received 605 votes, defeating Thomas Deschaine, who received 253; Catherine Hull, who received 188; and Shaun Hogan, who received 118.
Erica Carley Harris was elected to the Brunswick School Board on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Erica Carley Harris.
Harris, 37, works in government affairs for an international education nonprofit and currently has one child in the Brunswick School Department. She will be taking the seat of Teresa Kelly-Gillis, who decided not to seek reelection after two terms on the school board. District 3 covers the southwestern portion of Brunswick.
“I’m thrilled, and I feel very humbled to have so much support from the Brunswick community,” Harris said Wednesday morning. “I wanted to say to my opponents, thank you so much for running … I aim to represent them as well, and my door or my zoom screen is open … I appreciate all three of those folks for raising their hand and throwing their hat in the ring and I congratulate them on their race as well.”
According to Harris, she looks forward to working with staff, administrators, teachers and parents to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger. Her priorities on the school board, she said, include fully-funded public school, thoughtful and inclusive curriculum with an eye towards diversity, equity and inclusion and promoting art, experiential and outdoor education opportunities.
In a past interview, Harris voiced support for the current indoor mask mandate in the Brunswick School Department.
Both the District 4 and one at-large seat were also on the ballot for the school board, and incumbents Celina Harrison and Joy Prescott were both reelected garnering 931 and 6,249 votes, respectively.
Brunswick Town Council Results
Two newcomers — Abby King and Sande Updegraph — were elected to the Brunswick town council on Tuesday.
Both ran uncontested. King was elected with 1,033 votes, and Updegraph with 913.
Brunswick Town Council District 3 elect Abby King Courtesy of King
King will be taking over the District 3 seat from Councilor Dan Jenkins, who was first elected in 2018 and told The Times Record in July he would not be seeking reelection.
“I’d like to sincerely thank the voters for this opportunity, and promise to be the engaged, responsive representative District 3 residents deserve,” King said, adding that her number one priority will be to ensure communication to residents that have concerns, ideas or questions.
“I very much look forward to diving deeper into Council’s efforts to capitalize on the development potential in Cook’s Corner, further improve Pleasant Street and our beautiful downtown, support small local businesses, encourage the expansion of diverse and affordable housing options, and protect and expand our green space,” King said.
In District 4 – which makes up the northwestern portion of Brunswick – Updegraph will be taking the seat of Council Chairperson John Perreault, who did not seek reelection this year after 12 years on the council.
“I am delighted to have won and thank all of the voters who made the effort to vote early or on election day,” Updegraph said, also thanking Perreault for his years of service to the community.
Brunswick Town Council District 4 elect Sande Updegraph. Courtesy of Updegraph
According to Updegraph, topics she hopes to address as councilor include more collaboration and communication between the school board and town council as well as minimizing tax impacts on property owners whenever possible.
“One topic that rises to the top is affordable housing – not enough units, not at acceptable price levels, not suited for families including new Mainers,” Updegraph said. “I plan to support a Council-led initiative to collect data on best approaches and recommend action to incentivize new development in this area.”
Councilor Dan Ankeles, who ran unopposed, was also reelected for his second term in one of the two at-large seats. Ankeles received 6,381 votes.
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