LEWISTON — Races for a pair of Androscoggin County jobs — county commissioner and judge of probate — were too close to call late Tuesday night.
With 58 percent of the total county vote available at press time, Republican incumbent Beth Bell led Republican challenger Michael Shostak by 245 votes, with 4,470 to 4,225.
The commission seat represents Minot, Mechanic Falls, Poland and Auburn. Votes were only available from Minot and Poland.
Meanwhile, Republican Michael Dubois led Democrat Joshua Klein-Golden by almost 900 votes at 11,925 to 11,034 in a countywide vote.
Both men touted their experience during the election.
Klein-Golden, 32, has worked as both the Register of Probate and the Judge of Probate but has never been elected. Dubois, 56, has never run for office before.
Bell, a 52-year-old real estate broker from Auburn, was appointed to the post last year by Gov. Paul LePage. The seat opened after Commissioner Jonathan LaBonte resigned to take the job of Auburn’s mayor.
Much of her year was spent dealing with the controversy over who would answer and dispatch Androscoggin County’s emergency calls. She became the dissenting vote when the other two commissioners supported a set of fees for served communities.
Instead, Bell supported a full consolidation with Lewiston-Auburn 911.
Shostak, 56, has never held office.
He campaigned as someone who would shake up the commission, calling it “completely dysfunctional.” He said the long dispatching controversy was an example of inaction of the current three-member commission.
If he wins, he said he plans to resign his job as a transportation officer for the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
