RANGELEY – Voters reelected one incumbent but also sent a new face to the Board of Selectmen at Tuesday’s election, while residents of the town and surrounding plantations approved the $3.4 million school budget.
Selectman Gary Shaffer, Selectman Dennis Marquis and challenger Pamela White ran for two seats. White received 153 votes, narrowly beating out Marquis with 151. Shaffer comparatively cruised to retain his seat with 192 votes.
A similarly close election occurred in 2008, when initial results had Shaffer losing by a single vote. He successfully challenged the outcome and a disputed ballot, which bore the names of all three candidates running at the time. The election therefore resulted in a tie vote and a run-off election later elected Shaffer by a wider margin.
All other positions were uncontested. Shirley Herbert and Robert Welch were elected to the Park Commission with 121 and 133 votes, respectively. Charles Stokes was elected to the school board with 216 votes, while write-in candidate Everett Quimby was elected to the Sewer Commission with 12 votes.
The RSU 78 school budget passed with a comfortable margin of 217 in favor and 147 opposed. The $3.4 million budget was set at a budget meeting on May 24, where residents increased expenditures by $25,000 above the board’s recommendation. Read more about that meeting here.
Rangeley and Dallas Plantation passed the budget by wide margins. Rangeley residents cast 161 yes votes and 110 no votes, while Dallas Plantation voters cast 29 yes and 10 no.
Sandy River, Magalloway and Rangeley Plantation were all close votes, cast by a handful of residents. Sandy River Plantation voted 11 to 9 to support the budget while Magalloway residents vote 8 to 6 in favor. Rangeley Plantation was the only community to vote against supporting the budget, by a vote of 8 in favor and 12 opposed.
