Gardner OK’d to take county commission seat

MACHIAS – Chris Gardner, a police officer in Eastport and formerly a Washington County sheriff’s deputy, will be sworn in Thursday as one of two new Washington County commissioners at the group’s first meeting of the year.

Gardner, a Republican from Edmunds Township, defeated Democrat Albion Goodwin of Pembroke by 86 votes. The margin was certified after a recount Goodwin requested. District 2 residents cast 5,717 votes Nov. 2.

Gardner and Kevin Shorey, an unopposed candidate for the District 1 seat vacated by Winola Burke, join John Crowley of Addison as commissioners starting Thursday.

Gardner’s status was confirmed Dec. 22 when Gov. John Baldacci was notified of the recount’s tabulations, which were completed Nov. 29.

On Dec. 16 Goodwin’s attorney, Anthony Buxton of Augusta, signed off on the results, but said Goodwin still had the right to challenge the results in court if he chose to.

In the recount, Gardner collected 2,743 votes, or 50.8 percent, to Goodwin’s 2,657, or 49.2 percent.

Julie Flynn, the deputy secretary of state who oversees the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, said, “As far as we’re concerned, Mr. Goodwin has conceded … We have sent a corrected tabulation to the governor and sent a certificate to Chris Gardner. He can be sworn in and take his seat.”

Goodwin had challenged voting lists in Edmunds where “an undetermined number of alleged residents of local unorganized territories apparently voted,” Buxton wrote in a letter to terminate the recount.

“This makes the results reported by Edmunds unconfirmable and therefore highly suspect,” the letter said.

The recount established that 125 Edmunds residents voted for Gardner and 43 voted for Goodwin.

“There really isn’t anything [in the recount] that we thought we could send to the [Maine] Supreme Court,” Flynn said. “[Goodwin’s] issues were with voting lists in Edmunds and some other townships.

“We re-counted all the ballots that we had from all the district. If there were errors made, we’re not really investigating or doing anything with that. We were recording the errors for training purposes, so the errors don’t occur again.”

The recount took place in Augusta on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29. Voting boxes for the district’s nine towns and three townships have been held in Augusta for the last 30 days and are expected to be returned to town clerks by state troopers starting today.