Challengers lead Hancock County races

ELLSWORTH – The challengers had preliminary leads as of press time last night in two races for Hancock County commissioner.

In the county’s first commissioner district, with only eight out of 15 municipalities in the district reporting, challenger Robert Bauer of Blue Hill had 1,558 votes and incumbent Kenneth Shea of Ellsworth had 1,135 votes.

In the county’s third commissioner district, with only four of the district’s 11 towns reporting, incumbent Fay Lawson of Tremont had 563 votes, and challenger Bruce Carter of Franklin had 639.

In the county’s race for register of probate, Bonnie Cousins of Ellsworth had 5,502 votes, and Par Kettis of Castine had 4,005. Cousins, a Republican, beat longtime incumbent Margaret Lunt of Dedham in the Republican primary in June.

Of the county’s 37 municipalities, 16 towns had reported results as of press time. Larger municipalities such as Ellsworth and the four towns on Mount Desert Island had not reported results as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.