BRIDGTON — In a close, seven-way race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen, incumbent George Frederick Packard won the most votes Tuesday, receiving 428. Paul Tworog and Bernard King tied for the second seat, receiving 347 votes.
James Kidder received 336 votes; Robert McHatton, 325; incumbent Robert Murphy, 285; and George Paul Waterhouse, 267.
Town Clerk Laurie Chadbourne said Wednesday that a run-off election is usually held when candidates for a local office tie. The Tworog-King tie will be taken up Thursday night at the Selectboard meeting, she said, and the next steps in the process will be announced later.
There were three open seats on the Planning Board: one 3-year term, one 1-year term, and one 1-year term as an alternate. Incumbents Charles Kenneth Gibbs and Daniel Harden ran unopposed for the 3-year and 1-year term seats, respectively. Gibbs won 1,030 votes and Harden got 1,046 votes.
There were no candidates for the alternate seat and 152 write-in ballots, with Mike Figoli receiving the most, at 44.
Incumbent Trustee Barry Gilman won 1,107 votes for the Water District. Incumbent Pamela Brucker received won one of the two open seats on the SAD 61 Board of Directors with 1,031 votes. There were no other candidates.
Voters approved all eight questions on an ordinance to allow and regular certain medical marijuana establishments, as well as the four questions on routine updates to the land use ordinance.
Residents approved all town budget questions, passing the town’s $7.6 million budget. They agreed to appropriate $3.35 million from anticipated revenues, the unassigned fund balance, Bridgton Trust Fund and Moose Pond Trust Fund to reduce property taxes for the upcoming school year.
Residents voted to approve SAD 61’s $31.2 million budget 1,034-290.
Voters approved the two state referendum questions. On the first question, for the approval of a $15 million bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved or underserved areas, 1,017 residents voted for it and 369 voted against.
On the second question, for the approval of a $105 million bond issue to improve highways and bridges statewide and for transportation facilities or equipment related to transit, 1,066 voted to approve it and 329 voted against it.
In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race, Bridgton voters went for Sara Gideon, with 419 votes, over Betsy Sweet with 83 and Bre Kidman with 35.
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