SCARBOROUGH — Incumbents ruled the day in local elections on Tuesday.

Councilors Michael Wood and Judy Roy will return for new three-year terms on the Town Council, with 5,411 and 5,220 votes, respectively. They defeated newcomer Kerry Corthell, who received 3,971 votes in unofficial results.

Former Councilor Richard Sullivan Jr. won 3,863 votes and will fill the final year of a term vacated Shawn Babine. He defeated political newcomers Iver Carlsen, with 2,071 votes and Jim Benedict, with 1,453 votes.

Wood, who will begin his second term on the council, has also served for nine years on the Planning Board.

“I’d like to think (voters) appreciated my no-nonsense approach to the issues,” Wood said. “I see this as validation, in part, that the people of Scarborough think that I’m fair.”

Roy, who has served on the council for 12 years, will add three more years to her tenure.

“Obviously we’ve got an educated public watching what we’re doing and they’re happy with what they’ve seen,” she said.

“It was a pretty overwhelming vote in my favor,” said Sullivan, who earned 52 percent of the vote in his race. “I’m really surprised, but very appreciative. It’s great to be back on the council.”

Sullivan will will have to run again next year to remain on the council. He was a councilor from 2006 to 2009, has been on the Planning Board since 2009, and owns RJ Sullivan Landscaping.

School Board

The two seats on the School Board will be filled by incumbent John Cole, who received 4,958 votes for a second term, and political newcomer Aymie Hardesty, who received 4,517 votes in unofficial results Tuesday night.

“I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off,” Cole said.

He congratulated Hardesty, who he said would be a good fit on the board. He added that Bill Armishaw, who received 3,843 votes, would have also been a good fit.

“(Hardesty) brings a lot of energy,” he said. “I’m excited for her and I’m excited for us. I’m looking forward to more open dialog and more transparency.”

Hardesty has been active in advocating for air-quality testing at Wentworth Intermediate School.

“I’m excited to hopefully get Scarborough moving forward and the board moving in a direction they’ve always wanted to go in, but haven’t had the input from community and teachers they’ve needed to do it,” Hardesty said.

The candidates stood outside on the chilly fall day Tuesday, shaking hands with voters as they arrived at Scarborough High School to vote. Local candidates were joined by state and gubernatorial candidates, including U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and her daughter, Maine Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, as well as by independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler.

“Everyone outside seemed very friendly, very hungry to get your vote,” resident Jim Robinson said Tuesday morning after leaving the polls.

Emily Parkhurst can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or eparkhurst@theforecaster.net