FREEPORT — Michael Ashby defeated incumbent John Karp, 994-538, for a seat on the Water District Board of Trustees in Tuesday’s only contested local election.

Ashby, a clam digger who also serves as a Sewer District Trustee, took 64 percent of the vote. He did not respond to several requests for interviews in the weeks leading up to the election; Karp said during the campaign that he was not familiar with his opponent.

There were no successful write-in campaigns or other surprises in the races for Town Council, Regional School Unit 5 Board of Directors, or Sewer District Board of Trustees, where two incumbents ran unopposed for each office and were re-elected.

James Hendricks, 41, received 2,145 votes and won a second term as a councilor-at-large. Hendricks has owned and operated his own chiropractic office, Freeport Integrated Health Center, for the past 15 years. He has served as the Town Council chairman for the past year.

David Scott Gleeson, 44, received 439 votes and will serve his first full term as the District 1 councilor. Gleeson was elected in a December 2012 special election to replace former Councilor Sara Gideon, who resigned when she moved out of the district. He is the owner of North Atlantic Insurance Associates in Windham.

Peter Murray, 44, received 1,825 votes and won a second term on the RSU 5 Board of Directors. A software and entrepreneurial consultant, Murray serves on the board’s Policy Committee and has three children in the RSU.

Valeria Steverlynck, 42, received 1,774 votes and will serve her first full term on the RSU 5 board. She was unanimously appointed to the board in September after Brenda Kielty moved out of the district and resigned. A native of Argentina, Steverlynck is an oyster grower with three school-aged children.

Thomas Hudak, 67, received 1,802 votes and will serve a second term as a Sewer District Trustee. A native of Skowhegan, Hudak grew up in Waterville and has lived in Freeport since 1972. He is a custodian at Freeport Middle School and has previously owned a painting business and a bed and breakfast.

Garrett Simmons, 49, received 1,806 votes and will also serve a second term as a Sewer District Trustee. A graduate of Freeport High School, Simmons owns S&S Seafood, a wholesale shellfish business in Freeport.

All of the elected positions are for three-year terms.

Brendan Twist can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or btwist@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @brendantwist.

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