Victor Chau narrowly held on to his Ward 2 seat on the Westbrook City Council on Tuesday, defeating challenger Jessica Moninski by 50 votes.
Chau received 671 votes and Jessica Moninski, who was endorsed in the race by five members of the City Council, received 621.
Total voter turnout was 8,491, representing 56.27% of Westbrook voters.
Chau could not be reached for comment Wednesday before the American Journal’s deadline.
Chau
The race between Chau, who has served on the council since 2009, and Moninksi, a former member of the Westbrook School Committee, was contentious, with Chau’s opponents focused on his lack of support in July for the City Council’s Proclamation Supporting Access to Reproductive Healthcare. The proclamation came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.
Chau, who describes himself as “pro-choice,” said he did not believe the issue was a city matter and was the only council member to vote against the proclamation.
He said during the campaign that he was maligned by detractors spreading wrongful information about his reason for not supporting the resolution, saying he was against reproductive rights for women. Some constituents who respected him in the past slammed doors in his face while he was out campaigning, he said.
“It’s tearing my world apart,” Chau told the American Journal last month. “It’s been tough.”
Councilor At-Large Claude Rwaganje was unopposed in his re-election bid, as was Ward 1 Councilor David Morse. Jennifer Munro ran unopposed in Ward 5.
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