Voters selected five members of the newer, larger Androscoggin County Commission on Tuesday.
Three are from Lewiston, one is from Auburn and one is from Turner.
Results were based on 96 percent returns early Wednesday. Only Durham votes remained uncounted.
The Lewiston contingent included Commissioner Elaine Makas, a Democrat, and Republican newcomers Ronald Chicoine and Matthew Roy. Auburn voters elected Democrat Alfreda Fournier. And voters in the northern end of the county — from Turner, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Leeds and Minot — elected Republican Sally Christner.
“I’m very excited,” said newcomer Christner, who lives in Turner. She won 61 percent of the vote in her towns, defeating D. Robin Beck of Livermore Falls.
Christner expects a whirlwind of information when she takes her seat, she said.
“I’m going to have to take some time to get to know the issues,” she said.
Roy earned 67 percent of his vote, representing the southern section of Lewiston, Durham and Greene. He defeated Joshua Klein-Golden, who drew the remaining 32 percent.
Chicoine won his seat with 55 percent of the vote. He took 3,163 votes to Democrat Thomas Reynolds’ 2,563 votes.
Makas said she was eager to return to the commission.
“I’ve got more work to do,” said Makas, who has served for one-and-a-half terms on a three-member commission. A county charter passed in 2012 expanded the group to seven members, beginning Jan. 1.
“There’s going to be a whole lot of work at the outset,” Makas said. The group is charged by the charter with establishing new bylaws and hiring a new administrator, a first for the county. “It’s going to be very, very busy. I’m going to do the best job I can for the people of Lewiston and my district.”
Makas represents downtown Lewiston. She took 57 percent of the vote. Her challenger, Michael Marcotte, earned 42 percent of the vote. Chicoine, a Republican representing the northern part of Lewiston, took 55 percent of the vote to Democrat Thomas Reynolds’ 44 percent.
In Auburn, Fournier won her seat by 146 votes, beating opponent Gard Deletetsky, 2,825 to 2,679.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
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