The unofficial returns from the November 7, 2023, municipal election for the town of China are as follows:
For select board: Chadwick = 931, Marquis = 810.
Planning board: District 3/ Mather = 996, Alternate At Large/Tripodi = 978
Budget Committee: Chairman/Rumpf = 1,037, District 1/Maroon = 1,062.
All races were uncontested.
All write in positions will be determined later in the week.
The China election saw a turnout of 1,303 voters.
Residents of Fairfield may cast their ballots on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at the Fairfield Community Center, 61 Water Street, Fairfield, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The local ballot will include:
You may request an absentee ballot up to 90 days prior to election however;
Ballots are available 30 Days Prior to Election: October 9. Deadline to request Absentee is November 2. Absentee ballot s may be dropped off in the Drop-Box (24/7 Secure/no-contact).
Absentee Application: MAILERS: These are not sent from the municipality – these are facilitated by the political parties or third party drives – whatever manner you request an absentee, please submit only ONE request per election.
In-person: Voter Registration, Absentee Requests: Mon, – Fri,m 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Late Hours, October 30, 5 – 6 p.m.
Not Registered to Vote? Contact Town Clerk/Voter Registrar (ID & Proof of Residency required)
Closed Period: 21 days prior to election, thereafter all voter registrations must be in person with ID and Proof of Residency (Closed-Period/In-Person only commences on October 17, 2023). Voter Registration & General Information on Elections
Party Enrollment Changes: Voters wishing to change from one party to another will be automatically subject to the 15- day wait period, and must remain in the party three months. (There is no wait period for unenrolled voters to enter into a party)
Maine’s new semi-open primaries effective January 1, 2024: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/21-A/title21-Asec341.html.
A registered voter not enrolled in a political party may participate, subject to the restrictions of section 145, subsection 3, in a party’s primary election without enrolling in that political party. An unenrolled voter may vote in only one party’s primary election.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/21-A/title21-Asec145.html.
photo credit: United Valley Democrats Facebook page
Representatives from the local United Valley Democratic Committee (formerly China Dems) are diligently working alongside Kennebec County Democratic Committee on the Contest Every Race grant. Kennebec County is one of two counties in Maine, where groups are set to receive a $3,000 grant from Movement Labs via their Contest Every Race project. Contest Every Race (CER) is awarding grants to more than 300 political groups nationwide. This is the first year they have included Maine in the grant winners.
CER focuses on strengthening existing local rural organizations on Democratic electoral efforts. It provides an additional layer of resources, technical support, and training for rural and underserved community organizers. The grant program supports rural Democrats to connect with one another, build more power, and support the mission of not leaving any race uncontested.
Nationwide, nearly 100,000 elections go uncontested every year. These positions include municipality, county, and election officials; school board candidates; judges; attorneys; and law enforcement officials such as sheriffs and deputies.
CER to date has helped 5,563 new candidates. 44 percent of the candidates have won their races. Fifty-eight percent of the new candidates have been women of color.
To show your support, join the United Valley Democratic Committee’s End-of-Summer Celebration on Saturday, September 16, from 2 – 8 p.m., at the 327 Stevens Shore Rd., Palermo, ME.
Downtown Fairfield. (Contributed photo)
The following are official election returns as reported by Fairfield Town Clerk Christine Keller. Voters cast 111 ballots.
MSAD #49 School budget validation referendum:
Yes: 52
No: 59
Blanks: 0
MSAD #49 School Board (vote for 2)
Heather L. Hussey, 88; Rachel L. Hachey, 87; Blanks, 47.
Vassalboro ballotingVassalboro Town Clerk Cathy Coyne reported the following results from the polls on June 13:
Voters participating in China’s June 13 annual town business meeting, conducted by written ballot, approved all 32 warrant articles, according to Town Clerk Angela Nelson.
Their votes funded municipal and related activities for the 2023-24 fiscal year, authorized select board members to take actions on their behalf and approved two revised town ordinances.
On a separate ballot, they approved the Regional School Unit #18 budget for 2023-24, by a vote of 230 in favor and 77 opposed.
The issue most discussed at public meetings in the first half of the year was proposed changes in the Board of Appeals section of China’s Land Development Code. Voters approved the amended ordinance by a vote of 185 in favor to 120 opposed, the closest vote of the day.
The amended Solid Waste Ordinance got 234 “yes” votes and 70 “no” votes.
The most popular expenditure was the appropriation of state snowmobile registration money to the Four Seasons Club (Art. 15), approved 285-24.
Nelson said 313 voters cast ballots.
Results were posted by mid-evening Tuesday on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections tab on the left side of the home page.
Michael C. Poulin has formally declared his candidacy as a write-in candidate for the Vassalboro Select Board.
He has been a Vassalboro resident/taxpayer for 20+ years, U.S. Navy wartime veteran, member of Vassalboro Budget Committee, has been to 98 percent of selectboard meetings for years, attends most of the school board meetings, is a graduate of BSBA Suffolk University (1972), MBA Suffolk University 1992 (Summa), has been a 30-year assistant scoutmaster Boy Scout Troop #194 (Parent of Eagle Scout), is a patron of Vassalboro Free Public Library, associate member of Vassalboro Trails Committee, and is a patron of MPBN.
His work history includes Honeywell, Brown Brothers Harriman, Bank of Boston, various Senior Systems Analyst consulting gigs.
Poulin reminds voters to use his full name (Michael C. Poulin) to differentiate from the “other” Mike Poulin.
by Mary GrowBecause of several write-in candidates for local elected positions and a technical glitch with the town website, results of China’s Nov. 8 local votes were incompletely reported in the Nov. 10 issue of The Town Line (see p. 3).
For three positions on the planning board, James Wilkens was re-elected with 1,442 votes; Toni Wall was re-elected to the District 2 seat with 18 write-in votes; and the District 4 seat remains vacant. Town Clerk Angela Nelson explained that the qualified write-in for District 4, incumbent Scott Rollins, has declined to accept re-election.
For three positions on the budget committee, Trishea Story was re-elected secretary with 23 write-in votes; in District 2, after two of the three people with the same number of write-in votes declined to serve, Nelson reported that Taryn Hotham was sworn in as a new member on Nov. 14; and, as reported Nov. 10, District 4 member Timothy Basham and at-large member Elizabeth Curtis were re-elected, unopposed.
The count in the three-person contest for one position on the Regional School Unit #18 board of directors was as follows: incumbent Dawn Castner, re-elected with 851 votes; Darrell Stevens, 403 votes; and Wallace Pooler III, 371 votes.
Votes on the local referendum questions, all of which were approved, were as follows.
In unofficial returns submitted by Fairfield Town Clerk Christine Keller, Stephanie Thibodeau and Peter Lawrence were elected to the two open town council seats in a three-way race. Thibodeau received 1,465 votes, Lawrence 1,385 and Lawrence MacDonald 1,224.
In other election results, for Maine governor, former Republican governor Paul LePage 1,438, incumbent Democrat Janet Mills 1,259, and Independent Sam Hunkler, 71.
Representative to Congress, District #2, Democrat Jared Golden, 1,261, Republican Bruce Poliquin, 1,245, Independent Tiffany Bond, 233.
Maine Senate District #16, Republican Michael Perkins 1,550 and Democrat David Lafountain, 1,185.
Maine House of Representatives District #67, Republican Shelley Rudnicki, 1,459, Democrat Robert Sezak, 1,274.
In uncontested races, Somerset County Treasurer Tracey Rotondi, 2,342. Somerset County Register of Deeds, write-in candidate Laura Price, 11. Somerset County Sheriff, Dale Lancaster, 2,379. District Attorney, District 4, Maeghan Maloney, 2,066.
In other municipal elections, Kennebec Water District, Mark McCluskey, 2,253. MSAD #49 New School Referendum, Question 1 – new school, Yews, 1,602, No, 1,098; Question 2, larger gymnasium, Yes, 1,346, No, 1,339.
by Mary GrowThe results of China’s Nov. 8 local voting, as reported by Town Clerk Angela Nelson just before 11 p.m., are as follows.
In local elections, Blane Casey and Janet Preston were re-elected to the select board and Brent Chesley was elected to succeed Ronald Breton. Vote totals were Casey, 1,434; Chesley, 948; and Preston, 1,124.
For the planning board at-large position, James Wilkens was re-elected with 1,442 votes. Nelson expected results of write-in votes for representatives from District 2 and District 4 to be available within a day or two.
District 4 budget committee incumbent Timothy Basham and at-large member Elizabeth Curtis were re-elected with 1,571 and 1,492 votes, respectively. There were only write-in votes for committee secretary and for the District 2 seat.
In a three-way race for one seat on the Regional School Unit 18 board of directors, Nelson wrote that incumbent Dawn Castner defeated challengers Wallace Pooler III and Darrell Stevens; no numbers were on the town website, china.govoffice.com, early the morning of Nov. 9.
Nelson said all referendum questions were approved. China voters thereby:
Qualifications for the senior fuel assistance program are on the town website. An applicant must be 65 or older, a China resident for at least a year, with a household income below $30,000 for a single person or $60,000 for a couple. Applications must be accompanied by a copy of the 2021 Maine income tax filing or, if no taxes were filed, comparable evidence.
One $500 payment per household is authorized, between Nov. 15, 2022, and April 15, 2023, as long as the $75,000 lasts. Recipients of LiHEAP and HEAP are not eligible.
The town will make payments directly to fuel vendors — oil and propane dealers or Central Maine Power Co. for people with electric heat, for example. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said unusual situations – like someone burning the wood he bought year before last – will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with the goal of helping all eligible residents.
Hapgood did not know whether a payment to a fuel vendor should be reported as income by the homeowner. She recommended asking a tax professional or Maine Revenue Services.
In the race for RSU #18 school board, Dawn Castner was the winner with 851 votes. Darrell Stevens received 403 votes, and Wallace Pooler, 371.
On the Maine state ballot, China voters gave District 1 Democratic Representative to Congress Chellie Pingree 983 votes to 1,197 for Republican challenger Edwin Thelander and 7 for Alan H. MacDonald, a declared write-in candidate.
In the gubernatorial race, Republican former governor Paul LePage received 1,177 China votes to 1,019 for incumbent Democrat Janet Mills and 39 for Independent Sam Hunkler.
For state senator from District 15, incumbent Republican Matthew Pouliot got 1,371 votes to 822 votes for Democratic challenger Storme Jude St. Valle.
In a three-way race for state house District 62, with no incumbent, Republican Katrina Smith had 1,189 votes; Democrat Pamela Swift had 729 votes; and Independent Lindsey Harwath had 282 votes.
In the only contest for Kennebec County office, for register of deeds, in China Matthew James Boucher outpolled incumbent C. Diane Wilson by 1,268 to 877 votes.
by Mary GrowAt the polls on Nov. 8, Vassalboro voters approved a moratorium on commercial solar development in the town, effective immediately.
Town Clerk Cathy Coyne said the vote was 1,343 in favor to 748 opposed. The moratorium prohibits the planning board or any other municipal board or official from taking action on a commercial solar application for at least 180 days; the select board has the discretion to extend it.
Purpose of the delay is to give planning board members time to develop new regulations for such developments and present them to voters for approval. Board members have started discussing regulations and hope to have a document ready for the annual town meeting in June 2023.
The only other local question in Vassalboro on Nov. 8 was election of a representative to the Kennebec Water District board of trustees. Incumbent Frank Richards, unopposed for re-election, received 1,920 votes.
In state and county voting, Coyne reported the following results from Vassalboro voters:
Coyne said Vassalboro polls were busy all day, with a total of 2,190 ballots cast. The new secure ballot drop box outside the town office was used a lot up to and on election day, she said; even when the office was open, some voters put their early ballots in the box.