Voting
results: Gray, NG voters opt for newcomers
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray
and New Gloucester voters went to the polls Tuesday,
June 14 to vote on the SAD 15 (Gray-New Gloucester)
budget, School Board members, an All-Day Kindergarten
proposal, the Gray Water District Trustees, New Gloucester
Selectmen, and Gray Town Council members.
With the Water District races the lone exception,
each seat was contested. In the Gray Town Council
race, ex-Council Chair and long-time resident Audrey
Burns was defeated by newcomer Denise Duda, 344 to
392 for the open seat. Councilor Richard Hall, who
was appointed last October to fill an empty Council
seat, was ousted and newcomer Skip Crane and Andy
Upham were voted in to fill the two seats available.
Mr. Upham had been active in several Gray committees,
including the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate,
the SAD Budget Advisory Committee, and the SAD Facilities
Upgrade Committee. Mr. Crane earned 414 votes, Mr.
Upham 404, and incumbent Mr. Hall 361.
Joseph Murray was the lone contender for the 5-year
Gray Water District seat, earning 654 votes. There
was one Water District seat open, due to a resignation,
with no candidate. Jim Monroe earned 3 write-in votes,
making him the winner.
On the School Board, there were two seats available
representing Gray. Incumbents Tod Bennett and Peter
Pinkerton were voted in again, with 424 votes each,
defeating Dan Maguire, who received 306 votes.
Gray voters this time approved the All-Day Kindergarten.
433 people said yes and 291 voters said no. The School
Budget passed in Gray as well, with all articles earning
a yes.
Gray presented voters with a special non-binding referendum.
It asked if the Town should work with the newly formed
Gray Public Library Association to refurbish Pennell
so the Library could expand there from its Hancock
Street location. Gray voters thought this was OK,
with 582 people saying yes and 160 saying no.
In New Gloucester, newcomer Dale Maschino was voted
in as Selectmen, defeating ex-Town manager Wayne Cobb,
248 to 142 votes. New Gloucester representative for
the School Board, 9-year incumbent Carmel Morin, was
defeated by Ron Brann, 187 to 205 votes. New Gloucester
also passed the School budget and the All-Day-K proposal
by a 2-1 margin.
