The re-election of councilors John MacKinnon and Carol Waig to the Windham Town Council Tuesday may have stunned voters hoping to change the complexion of the council by tossing out the incumbents.

The council composition will remain the same for another year. The tenor of divisiveness mentioned by council candidate Lane Hiltunen and others can still be changed, but the council and voters should beware of the chimera of unity as the best course to move Windham forward.

The vigor of the disagreements between councilors shows each to be engaged and thoughtful about ideas and options to expand infrastructure like sewer services and keep businesses like Bushmaster from leaving town.

In defeating Hiltunen and Ann Rich, Waig said she hoped the council “can unite and make some decisions that move Windham into its future.”

The point is not to create a fully united Windham Town Council. Government without dissension invites horrible decisions. Balancing needed services without increasing the tax burden should not elicit unanimity.

The goal is to bend enough to find solutions, even if those solutions need revision in future councils. A second goal is for councilors to maintain strong opinions and ideals without demonizing opponents.

Local politics can be bruising. The entire Brownfield Board of Selectmen was recalled in 2006, the same year opponents tried to remove the late Bob Fay from his Waterboro seat.

Casting aside the silliness and finger pointing and the discourse made infamous on YouTube, it has still seemed apparent that a voting bloc of MacKinnon, Elizabeth Wisecup, Bob Muir and Waig reflexively oppose a bloc of Kaile Warren, Blaine Davis and Donna Chapman, and vice-versa.

Nowhere was this more evident than in an April vote to create a temporary plan to raise sewer fees. Although Waig recused herself because she works in the area affected by the sewer, the inability of the remaining six to compromise on a figure is costing the town more than $9,000 a month.

Taken individually, the Windham Town Council is comprised of members like Warren, who has created a hugely successful business and spun it into other opportunities, like being a correspondent on national news shows. Warren has also expanded upon a vision to improve town infrastructure and attract businesses that might consider neighboring towns.

MacKinnon is a successful engineer. Chapman has worked assiduously for the families of veterans through Operation Homefront. Council members have frequently contributed eloquently to this and other papers.

Now the course is set to see what the council can do collectively with the respect for the abilities each holds. The members of the Windham Town Council do not need to sing “Kumbaya” before each meeting. Any tune will do, so long as their ears remain open to those sitting next to them.

David Harry, editor