WESTBROOK – The race for governor and a controversial casino question brought Westbrook voters out in droves on Election Day Tuesday.

A local race for a new Westbrook Charter Commission, however, did not carry the same enthusiasm. Many people skipped over that portion of the ballot entirely, saying afterward they had no clue what they were voting for.

Residents elected an eclectic group of noteworthy citizens to review the city charter. Among those elected are Mayor Colleen Hilton’s sister and a woman whom the mayor previously sought a protective order against.

Victorious commission candidates are former Mayor Bruce Chuluda’s daughter, Lisa Chuluda, with 3,850 votes; Hilton’s sister, Patricia Amico, 3,396; Michael Levine, 3,327; former city Finance Director Susan Rossignol, who is still not permitted to enter City Hall, 3,327; Eileen Shutts, who worked on the last comprehensive plan, 3,287; and former City Councilor Drew Gattine, 2,991.

The other candidates were Westbrook High School Principal Marc Gousse, 2,736; Michael Mullett, 2,363; Charles Ewing, 2,362; and George Rodrigues, 2,334.

The next step, according to City Administrator Jerre Bryant, is for the City Council to appoint three more members to the commission. He said the commission could convene as soon as later this month.

There could be fireworks as commission members with differing viewpoints come together to review a charter that has not been closely examined since it was adopted in 1907.

“I’ve been told there has never been a comprehensive charter commission process,” Bryant said.

It is unclear how the personalities will come together. In particular, Amico and Rossignol will have to work together after Hilton did not reappoint Rossignol at her inauguration in January.

That led to controversy, as Rossignol continued to show up at City Hall, leading police to file a no-trespass order and Hilton to seek a protective order from the court that was later thrown out.

Bryant said the no-trespass order remains in effect and there will be accommodations made to Rossignol.

In a questionnaire she filled out for the American Journal before the election, Rossignol went on at length against the scope of the mayor’s powers.

Westbrook has a strong-mayor form of government. The mayor chooses whether to reappoint department heads each year. The position’s power is almost certain to be examined by the charter commission.

Several candidates, including Levine and Shutts, said they have no preconceived notions about what needs changing besides archaic language.

Gattine, who served on the council from 2004 to 2010, said the commission should examine the relationship between the council and the mayor.

Amico proposed staggering council terms and extending them to three years in length.

Chuluda, on the other hand, does not want to change the charter at all, she said.

“I think there is a wide range of perspectives, which is probably a good thing,” said Bryant, adding it will “be an interesting process to watch unfold.”

Many at the polls Tuesday had never even heard of the charter commission and skipped over it on their ballots.

“I didn’t have a clue,” said Joanne Morton after casting her vote at the Westbrook Armory. She said she chose three women and three men at random.

“I hadn’t heard about it,” said Maureen Bergeron, who also voted at the armory. “I left it blank.”

Ward 1 election clerk Shirley Jordan-Barker said election staff saw many charter commission sections left blank as voters fed their ballots into the machines.

“People even told us, ‘I didn’t vote for anybody,’” she said. “I think the governor’s race is what’s getting people out.”

Westbrook was among the municipalities that granted independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler his early lead Tuesday night. He garnered a total of 2,449 votes, more than Republican Paul LePage’s 2,090, Libby Mitchell’s 1,327, Shawn Moody’s 671 and Kevin Scott’s 27.

LePage overtook Cutler overnight Tuesday and was the apparent winner of a close race Wednesday morning.

Bergeron and her husband, Andy, said they both voted for Cutler, but thought LePage, the “working man’s candidate,” would win.

Ward 5 resident Matthew Gautreau also supported Cutler, saying the independent is well educated and savvy, and that it is time to do away with the party politics.

“It’s a matter of time until (the independent) voice gets the support,” he said.

The vote on a casino in Oxford County brought out some who may not have voted otherwise. Among them was Marc Gregoire, who said he “basically came to vote for the casino” and did not vote for the charter commission or governor.

He and others polled said the casino would bring revenue and jobs to the state. Some others opposed it, saying it is not the right way to stimulate the economy.

Westbrook voted in favor of the casino by a vote of 4,036 to 2,321, contributing to a narrow approval statewide.

Interest in the governor’s race and the casino vote drove another strong turnout in Westbrook. City Clerk Lynda Adams said about 6,300 ballots were cast out of 11,314 active voters. When Election Day registrations are taken into account, turnout was around 50 percent, she said.

“The good thing about it is it was a steady flow all day,” she said. “This election was really good.”