November 07, 2024
VOTE 2007

Down East votes cast on bonds, officials

PLEASANT POINT – Five minutes after the polls closed Tuesday, the Passamaquoddy tribal clerk was calling in the results of her community’s vote.

Tribal Clerk Jackie Lola beat out the other nearly 50 clerks in Washington County by being first. Pleasant Point voters followed state trends and overwhelmingly approved the transportation bond 12-0. They voted similarly for the drinking-water question.

The $112 million transportation bond money will be used to leverage $161 million in federal transportation funds and $13 million in private funds. The money would be used to repair and replace roads and bridges in the state.

The $18.3 million drinking-water question was approved statewide, paving the way for municipalities to upgrade aging water and sewer systems.

The town clerk of Talmadge also had her community’s results within minutes of the polls closing. Voters there favored the transportation bond question 4-3, but rejected the drinking-water question 6-1.

Twenty-five minutes after Pleasant Point called in its results, the tribe’s sister reservation at Indian Township had its results. Tribal Clerk Denise Polches reported that on the first question, voters approved 86-0. On question two, the vote was 87-0.

Voters in Cutler split evenly on Question 1 with a vote of 16-16, but tipped the scale against the drinking-water issue with 14 for and 18 against the bond.

Baileyville came through with an evenly matched vote. Residents voted both questions down 47-43.

Calais voters were in a mood to spend some money. They voted 107-31 in favor of the transportation bond and 95-42 in favor of the drinking-water bond.

Machias voters, who stand to gain from the drinking-water funds, voted 132-37 in favor of it. Some of the money will be used to upgrade the town’s wastewater treatment facility. Machias voters also approved the transportation issue 137-35. All articles on the Machias school budget were overwhelmingly approved, and voters returned incumbent Warren Gay to the Board of Selectmen. He beat Jeremy Gabrielson 93-67.

Machiasport had a large voter turnout as a result of the local race. In that seaside community, voters approved the two bond issues 187-89 and 172-106 respectively.

Voters there turned their backs on the Prescott family who were vying for seats on the Board of Selectmen and school board. Incumbent William Prescott Jr. lost his bid for another term on the Board of Selectman to Margaret Flaherty 157-130. Prescott’s wife, Sandra, lost her bid for another run at the school board to Rose Williams by a vote of 154-128.


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