The budget was validated.  The results:

Eliot:  yes 586 no 223

South Berwick:  yes 196 no 74

South Berwick’s voter turn out:  5.5%

Ellen Breed was running unopposed for SAD 35 Director from South Berwick.

She received  2227 votes
There were 612 Blanks and 60 write ins

In Kittery:

There has been discussion about tuitioning Kittery students to Marshwood in the last year.  In Kittery, a non binding referendum was on the ballot to seek voter opinion on whether to keep Traip open, rather than tuition students out to another school district.  Kittery voters, by a 2.7 to 1 margin, said they want to keep Traip open.

Update: Nov. 4.  Maine will have a casino in Oxford County, a bond has been passed to increase access to dental care in Maine, and a bond has been passed for land conservation, working waterfronts, and state parks.

Question 1: Citizen Initiative -Yes
Do you want to allow a casino with table games and slot machines at a single site in Oxford County, subject to local approval, with part of the profits going to specific state, local and tribal programs?

South Berwick Only:  Yes    1186       (46%)                      No   1386  (54%)
Statewide Results: Yes  281,002    50.67% No  273,538    49.33%

Question 2: Bond Issue -Yes
Do you favor a $5,000,000 bond issue to be awarded on a competitive basis to increase access to dental care in Maine, $3,500,000 to be used for a community-based teaching dental clinic affiliated with or operated by a college of dental medicine to be matched by $3,500,000 in other funds, and $1,500,000 to be used to create or upgrade community-based health and dental care clinics across the State to increase their capacity as teaching and dental clinics?

South Berwick Only:  Yes    1211       (47.6%)                       No  1333    (52.4%)
Statewide Results:       Yes       280,193    51.40% No  264,938    48.60%

Question 3: Bond Issue – Yes
Do you favor a $9,750,000 bond issue to invest in land conservation and working waterfront preservation and to preserve state parks to be matched by $9,250,000 in federal and other funds?

South Berwick Only:  Yes    1658         (65%)                     No  891   (35%)
Statewide Results:       Yes   325,036    59.28% No  223,258    40.72%

Governor
Cutler, Eliot R.- I   743
LePage, Paul R. – R  903
Mitchell, Elizabeth Libby – D  804
Moody, Shawn H. – I 86
Scott, Kevin L. – I 33
Write-ins 1
Blanks 35

Representative to Congress District 1
Pingree, Chellie – D  South Berwick:  1347  Statewide results:  146,790     57%
Scontras, Dean Peter – R South Berwick:  1205  Statewide results:  109,761     43%
Write-ins 0
Blanks 48

State Senator – District 1
Estes, Michael L. – R  South Berwick: 1288  Statewide results:  7,689    48%
Hill, Dawn – D  South Berwick:  1232 Statewide results: 8,473    52%
Write-ins 0
Blanks 78

County Treasurer
Wood, Frank R – D 1934
Blanks 628

Register of Deeds
Anderson, Debra Lee – D  1927
Blanks 633

Sheriff
Gagne, Craig A. – R 1147
Ouellette, Maurice R. – D  1293
Blanks 160

District Attorney – District 1
Slattery, Kathryn M. – D 1916
Write-ins 637

Town Council – Two open seats

David Burke    1616

John “Jack” Kareckas    1456

Eric Pelchat   1408

Blanks  1262

Write ins  56

Municipal Referendum Question QUESTION 1: To see if the Town will vote.to approve a capital improvement project consisting of library improvements for a sum not to exceed $1,500,000; to fund the capital improvement project. . .

Yes  1521 No  1318  Blanks  60

It is never too late to register to vote in Maine. You can register to vote until, and including, election day. There is no cut-off date for registering to vote in person at your town office or city hall.

The polls in South Berwick will be open from 6 am to 8 pm on the third floor of Town Hall. The hall is handicap accessible.

For more information about  the elections, select the “election 2010″ category in the list in the right column.

I’ll be posting local election results here as soon after the polls close at 8 PM as I get them.

See you at the polls!

Some friends have asked why get so involved in South Berwick’s new library.

In a word: leverage.

First, the proposed library will be a state-of-art, highly efficient use of an existing structure on about a third of land adjacent to Central School, close to Main Street, near town hall and existing businesses and provide a fulcrum to spark the heavy lifting of economic development in the village center. Creation of a new library, scaled to our community needs can leverage long desired economic development in the central village by private investors and business.

Second, we have invested about $1.3 million in the Young Street property including land, tackling mold and environmental issues and now protecting the building with a new roof. Strong voter support for the $1.5 million library bond will provide another fulcrum as the Friends of the Library proceed with the heavy lifting to raise $1 million to complete and fit out the library. Strong voter support combined with the monies already invested will be enable the Friends to compete for major grants in a very competitive environment.

Third, our library will become a community resource to leverage the sense of wonder in our toddlers, enhance and compliment education in our community, gain access to the digital world for those with and without laptops. Hold a toddler’s little hand and walk into a good library ; feel the child tug more than your hand toward a garden of books blooming with ideas; sit in a chair or on the floor with a child in your lap …. read, learn, grow!

Wonder is the first step toward knowledge. C. K. Chesterson said, “Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.” Access to good stories, a range of news and views, a confluence of people and ideas …. a library leverages our community values.

Please, vote yes for the Library Bond.

Jim Howell

Meet the Eliot rep. candidates
SeacoastOnline.com
Roberta “Bobbi” Beavers, a Democrat, is facing off against Ellen Lemire, a Republican, in the race to represent District 148 in the Maine House of Representatives…

Drew, Eves square off in Maine House District 146
Gregg Drew, a Republican, is challenging Democratic incumbent Mark Eves in the Maine House District 146 race…

Eves vs. Drew for state rep. seat
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Incumbent Democrat Mark W. Eves of North Berwick, Maine, and Republican Gregg H. Drew of North Berwick, Maine, will vie for the District 146 state….

Beavers, Lemire competing for House Dist. 148 seat
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Democrat Roberta “Bobbi” Beavers of South Berwick, Maine, and Republican Ellen M. Lemire of Eliot, Maine, will vie for the District 148…