SOUTH PORTLAND — The only contested election in the city produced an upset Tuesday when political novice Melissa Linscott defeated incumbent City Councilor Rosemarie De Angelis in District 3.
Linscott won 7,144 to 5,514, on the heels of an endorsement from Councilor Maxine Beecher and Election Day support from Councilors Jerry Jalbert and Alan Livingston at the polls.
“I feel great. It was a pretty decisive win, and it had been a tough, uphill battle going against Rosemarie,” Linscott said.
De Angelis, who was also mayor in 2011, was seeking her second consecutive term in the district and third overall. She also held the seat from 2003 to 2006. District 3 is comprised of the center of the city, including Knightville and waterfront areas west of the Casco Bay Bridge.
Linscott said she received enough positive feedback while campaigning to suggest she could win, and said she sensed voters were looking for a fresh perspective on the council.
Beecher’s endorsement of Linscott came as the District 4 councilor prepares to leave the council because the City Charter prohibits her from seeking a fourth consecutive term.
Her replacement will be Linda Cohen, a former city clerk in the city and Portland, who ran unopposed.
Also unopposed were Board of Education incumbents Richard Matthews and Tappan Fitzgerald Jr., who won new three-year terms in District 3 and District 5, respectively.
James Gilboy also won another term representing District 4 on the School Board, even though there were no candidates on the ballot.
City Clerk Sue Mooney said Gilboy, who filed to run as a write-in candidate after he did not submit nomination papers in September, received 74 write-in votes while four other write-ins received a total of 30 votes.
Councilors and School Board members will be sworn in Dec. 3. After the oaths of office, the mayor will be selected by a council vote and School Board members will select their chairman or chairwoman. Both offices have one-year terms.
Mooney said there was heavy voter turnout in the city: 81 percent of almost 18,000 registered voters cast ballots.
David Harry can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 110 or dharry@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHarry8.
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