PARIS — Scott McElravy, vice chairman of the Paris Select Board won reelection Tuesday in a four-person race for two seats. Planning Board member Matthew Bracket will join him for the next three years.
In neighboring Norway, all candidates running for office were unopposed. Official vote totals were not initially available Tuesday night.
Brackett led the four candidates with 182 votes, while McElravy got past former Fire Chief Jonathan Longley, 152-144, to get the second seat on the five-member board.
The fourth candidate Scott Buffington received 138 votes.
Brackett, who has lived in Paris for the past 20 years, said he wanted to protect the taxpayer. He added that he was concerned with the school budget, which he described as a “pile of money.”
McElravy has served on the Select Board for four years. He said at a candidate forum that the current board works well together and has done a good job watching how taxpayers’ dollars are spent on the municipal side of the budget. His major concern is what he described as the “runaway” school budget, which represents 58% of Paris’ tax dollars.
Incumbent Carlton Sprague did not seek reelection.
In the race for school director, incumbent Christie Wessels and newcomer Doreen Simmons finished one and two in the four-person race to get seats on the board. Wessels received 174 votes, while Simmons finished with 149 votes. Trailing them were Autumn Stan with 117 votes and Ronald Ramsey III with 103 votes.
Troy Ripley, who was appointed to the school board last December, ran unopposed to complete the final year of the three-year term.
Both incumbent trustees for the Paris Utility District won reelection. Matthew Dieterich led with 199 votes and Samuel Elliot received 189. Challenger Raymond Lussier trailed with 133 votes.
Paris residents comfortably supported all the articles covering the school district. The school budget passed 226-137. The two articles on issuing bonds and notes for school construction and minor capital projects passed 234-127 and 247-115, respectively. A vote to accept a $2.1 million federal grant for an Oxford Hills Technical School building passed overwhelmingly, 290-78.
A total of 369 residents voted, 64 by absentee ballot.
In neighboring Norway, Sarah Carter and Dennise Whitley will serve a second three-year term on the five-member Select Board. Carter received 184 votes and Whitley finished with 159 votes.
Incumbent Curtis Cole is returning to the school board for another three-year term. He received 188 votes.
Mary DeLano and Deidre Fulton were elected as trustees of the Norway Memorial Library with 183 and 165 votes, respectively.
The MSAD 17 budget and referendums all passed in Norway with more than 85% support. The budget passed 176-32. The bonds for construction and minor projects passed, 189-22 and 189-21. Acceptance of the Oxford Technical School grant nearly unanimous, 207-4.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
