Friday’s municipal election in the town of Raymond drew over 500 voters to the polls at Jordan Small Middle School.

In the race for Board of Selectmen, four candidates ran for two open seats. When the votes were tallied, newcomer Lawrence (Lonnie) Taylor, with 319 votes, and Dana Desjardins, a former selectman, with 227 votes, beat out incumbents Christine McClellan, 181 votes, and Ada Brown, 130 votes.

In response to news of his win, Taylor said, “I’m very proud to be one of Raymond’s town selectmen and I’ll do my best to keep value and integrity in the town.”

During the campaign, Taylor, a Republican and a lifelong resident of Raymond, cited Raymond’s growth rate as the biggest challenge faced by the town.

Desjardins, also a Republican, ran for the Board of Selectmen to try to curb the town’s spending. When asked to comment on his win Desjardins said, “The people that voted for me were looking at paying down the bills before new spending.”

Brown, reacting to the election results, said she believed there is “an undercurrent somewhere.” A Democrat and a Raymond Selectman since 1997, Brown is proud of the board’s accomplishments during her tenure, specifically, building the new public safety building and laying the groundwork for a digital recording studio in Raymond, which was approved during town meeting Saturday.

“There has certainly been no one on the board who has worked harder than I have,” Brown said. “I’ve done everything I could to make the town of Raymond better. The town of Raymond is going to be the loser and not me.”

McClellan, an Independent, believes her three years on the board taught her more about human nature. “What it’s done for me personally is it gave me a whole new appreciation of people who choose public service as a career.”

Although McClellan says she has “overcommitted herself for many years,” she plans to make the time to continue her work on Raymond’s Comprehensive Plan, a provision she fervently believes is necessary to shape Raymond’s future.

School Board election

Five candidates ran for two open spots on Raymond’s School Board. Newcomers Teresa Sadak, with 203 votes, and Roger Ginn, with 199 votes were elected to the two positions over Mary Guiseley, 145 votes, Jeri Keane, 139 votes, and Frank McDermott, 186 votes.

Teresa Sadak, who was in Colorado with the Odyssey of the Mind team this week, was unavailable for comment. Sadak, a Republican who has been an outspoken critic on the Raymond School Board, ran for the board to bring change and to open communication between board members, the school, the teachers and the public.

Roger Ginn, a Democrat, reiterated the need for better communication. “I was pleased,” said Ginn, referring to the election. “We have a couple of new people on the board and maybe we can help improve communication. I had a sense people in the community were looking for new people. Maybe that’s kind of the mood of the voters.”

Democrat Mary Guiseley was unavailable for comment. During the campaign, Guiseley had also called for change, emphasizing the need for diversity on the School Board.

Jeri Keane, not registered to a political party, served for the past year as chairperson of the School Board. “I’m disappointed,” Keane said, referring to her failed re-election bid. “I looked forward to serving again. I wish the new board members the best of luck.”

Frank McDermott, a Democrat, had served on the School Board from 1998 to 2004. During the campaign, he said the challenge in education was to give kids the best education possible without spending too much money.

“The voters spoke,” said McDermott in response to the election results. “I thought it was a dichotomy between the votes on Saturday and the elections on Friday. They seemed to be out to cut everything and they didn’t cut anything.”

Friday’s elections included three positions on the Budget/Finance Committee. With three candidates running, all were elected: Ralph S. Bartholomew, 333 votes; Tucker H Cole, 319 votes; and Rolf Olsen, 339 votes.

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