Wells selectman reelected by 7 votes; school board chair unseated by challenger
Wells voters decided a tightly contested selectman’s race by a margin of seven votes on Tuesday, while also flipping a long-held school board seat and endorsing a multimillion-dollar municipal budget paired with a climate-change referendum.
Official results show incumbent Selectman James Smith secured reelection with 1,626 votes, edging out challenger Phillip Breton by just seven votes. Under Maine state law, Breton may request a recount at no cost, though neither candidate issued a public statement Wednesday on the possibility. The razor-thin margin turned heads across the coastal community, where every ballot felt decisive.
In a separate contest that reshaped the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District Board, Eileen Conlon unseated incumbent Chair Jason Vennard, capturing 1,862 votes to his 1,327. Conlon, who holds a doctoral degree in education from the University of Massachusetts and has taught at the middle-school, college and adult-training levels, said she was surprised to win her first run for office. In an email Wednesday she wrote, “Hopefully I’ll be able to contribute in this new role on the School Committee.” Vennard conceded the race via Facebook Tuesday night, calling the experience “both humbling and rewarding” and thanking those who supported him, while noting he plans to share more thoughts in the days ahead.
Beyond the competitive races, residents overwhelmingly approved the town’s $33.57 million municipal budget, with every article passing by varying margins. Voters also backed a referendum urging state and federal officials to enact fossil fuel pricing legislation as a step toward combating climate change.
Several uncontested positions were decided as well. Jamie Lombardi, Darcy Lynch and James Purdy were elected to the Library Board of Trustees, Michael Livingston won a seat on the Wells Sanitary District board, and Michele Stivaletta-Noble took the town clerk’s office. According to the town clerk’s office, 3,887 candidate ballots, 3,892 article ballots and 3,741 school-district ballots were cast Tuesday.
With the selectman’s race still open to a recount and the school board welcoming a new voice, the town’s next steps will likely include organizational meetings and the implementation of the voter-approved climate resolution.
