BRUNSWICK
The challenger in the District 5 school board race said he will be pursuing a recount.
Official tallies provided by the town clerk’s office show Christopher Watkinson lost by seven votes to incumbent and former chairman Jim Grant.
Grant edged out Watkinson 557-550.
“Due to the extremely slim margin of difference in votes between us, I do feel compelled to pursue a recount, and have begun talks with the town clerk’s office to start that process,” said Watkinson in an email to The Times Record. “I owe it to the many supporters, voters, contributors and volunteers that donated their time and energy to my campaign for the last few months, and I need to investigate any possible option that could affect a different outcome, no matter how slight the chances.”
Town Clerk Fran Smith said that Watkinson emailed her office to request the recount; Watkinson must formally request the recount in writing. Smith said she has also notified Grant of Watkinson’s request.
The Grant-Watkinson race was the only contested school board race this year in Brunswick.
Watkinson is a political newcomer, and has criticized the school board for its handling of the aftermath of the Jordan Acres Elementary School closure, and over plans to move the fifth grade to the junior high school.
Grant ran on his experience in Brunswick and as a representative on the Maine School Boards Association.
“Almost exactly 50 percent of voters in District 5 did not vote for Jim Grant, and he would be wise to take that resounding rejection of the school board’s policies to heart,” Watkinson said. “Our community is severely divided on the policies being enacted in our school system, and Mr. Grant should give pause to reconsider his posture on the clearly controversial issues and listen to his constituents — all of them, not just his 50 percent.”
“I try to listen to everyone, no matter what their opinion is,” Grant said in an interview Thursday. “The school board has done some pretty good work. Having been part of it for 14 years, I share a small role in that.”
Grant said he “hoped to be magnanimous” during the recount process.
The recount will be conducted by the clerk’s office in Brunswick, said Smith. Each candidate will be represented by five supporters, and will be supervised by a member of the clerk’s staff. The ballots will be handcounted.
There were 1,417 ballots cast in the District 5 school board race, with 11 write-ins and 299 blanks.
“Regardless of who won on Election Day, the challenges before us as a town remain unchanged and we still need to get the job done,” Watkinson wrote. “Whether as a member of the school board or as a dedicated parent and community member, I remain committed to getting our schools back on track and helping solve our problems without compromising the educational well-being of our children or breaking the banks of the taxpayers. There is a way out of this mess, and the school board and administration hasn’t yet struck the right balance that benefits us all.”
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less