CHINA: One incumbent, two newcomers elected to China select board

by Mary Grow

China Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported the following voting results early Wednesday morning, Nov. 6.

For the local select board, with five candidates for three seats, voters re-elected one incumbent and added two newcomers.

Incumbent Blane Casey was top vote-getter with 1,409 votes. Added to the board were Thomas Rumpf, with 998 votes and Edwin Bailey, with 927 votes. Incumbent Brent Chesley lost his seat, receiving 818 votes; Tod Detre got 538 votes.

Incumbent budget committee member Timothy Basham was re-elected unopposed, with 1,654 votes.

Other budget committee positions and one position on the Regional School Unit #18 board had no candidates on the ballot. Write-in winners will be declared after town office staff tabulate votes and make sure apparent winners are willing to serve.

Voters approved all five local referendum questions, as follows:

— Question 3, amending the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program, yes 1,688, no 671;
— Question 4, a revised Budget Committee Ordinance, yes 1,840, no 513;
— Question 5, adding a map of the Development District, yes 1,747, no 599;
— Question 6, amending the Land Development Code, yes 1,691, no 630; and
— Question 7, creating a moratorium on electric transmission lines, yes 1,688, no 673.

China voters’ presidential votes were as follows: Donald Trump, 1,498; Kamala Harris, 1,059; Jill Stein, 34; Chase Oliver, 19; and Cornel West 11.

For United States Senator, incumbent Independent Angus King edged out Republican challenger Demi Kouzounas, 1,218 votes to 1,112 votes. David Allen Costello got 175 votes, Jason Cherry 86.

For United States Representative from Maine’s First District, China voters gave Republican Ronald Russell 1,355 votes, incumbent Democrat Chellie Pingree 1,062 votes and Ethan Alcorn 134 votes.

For state Senate District #15, Republican Richard Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, got 1,480 China votes to 1,042 for Democrat Raegan LaRochelle, of Augusta. For state House District #62, incumbent Republican Katrina Smith got 1,537 votes to 961 for Democratic challenger Pamela Jo Swift.

Elizabeth Mitchell, of Vassalboro, running unopposed for re-election as Kennebec Judge of Probate, got 1,778 votes.

China votes on five state-wide questions were as follows:

— #1 (citizen initiative to limit political contributions): yes, 1,849; no, 666.
— #2 (bond issue for technology): yes, 1,211; no, 1,294.
— #3 (bond issue for historic preservation): yes, 1,178; no, 1,338.
— #4 (bond issue for trails): yes, 1,327; no, 1,176.
— #5 (changing the state flag): yes, 840; no, 1,714.