WESTBROOK – At 8:30 p.m., at Profenno’s on Main Street Tuesday, there was a lot of nervous optimism as the results in the mayor’s race began to come in. Mayor Colleen Hilton, who was seeking re-election against challenger and former mayor Bruce Chuluda, was up by 180 votes.
But in Ward 1, a technical glitch was stalling the final results for the mayor and several other city races. Reports indicated it would be another hour. And while Hilton lives in Ward 1, she and her supporters remembered the election two years ago, when she was the challenger and beat Chuluda by less than 150 votes.
Hilton said she was taking nothing for granted, only commenting, “I’m just glad (the campaign) is over. It’s been a long couple of months.”
She needn’t have worried. While it was no landslide, Hilton got 2,659 votes to Chuluda’s 2,350, a difference of 309 votes, better than the margin she won by in 2009. City Council President Brendan Rielly arrived at the party at about 9:30 p.m., carrying slips with results from Ward 1. With a wide grin, he shouted, “Winner!” to Hilton, prompting a roar from more than 50 family members, friends and other supporters in attendance.
After hugging her husband, Bill, Hilton climbed up on a stool and thanked the well-wishers.
“It’s a victory for everybody in this room,” she said.
Hilton said her win serves as proof that she has served Westbrook’s best interests, even if she didn’t always do the popular thing.
“We knew the minute we raised taxes, this was going to be a battle, but it was the right thing to do,” she said.
Rielly, who gave a speech nominating Hilton at the Democratic caucus in September, said Tuesday night that he also did not take her re-election for granted.
“Whenever you run a race, you run it like you’re 50 votes down, but I was always confident Colleen was going to win,” he said.
Bill Hilton said he was nervous before the results came in, but he was all smiles for his wife after Rielly arrived to give the final count.
“The real winner tonight is the city of Westbrook,” he said. “In these tough times, we need all the leadership we can get, and Colleen is a true leader.”
The delay in getting final results was caused by a problem with the Ward 1 vote-counting machine. City Clerk Lynda Adams said in all wards, a dedicated machine kept track of the votes throughout the day, immediately recording results as voters scanned their ballots into the machines.
But in Ward 1, a worker inadvertently reset the machine late in the tabulating process. That erased the day’s data, Adams said, forcing about 1,500 ballots to be re-scanned. Even with the Ward 1 machine and the help of a backup machine, it took about an hour to get a count.
“I don’t know if it’s ever happened (before),” she said.
In all, Adams said, workers received about 5,100 ballots, a 40 percent turnout.
“I didn’t expect the totals to be that high this time,” she said.
Adams said two years ago, the city had a 55 percent rate, fueled in part by the gay marriage referendum, but this year, it’s possible that the contested races in the city and the statewide referendum on gambling brought more people out.
During the victory celebration, Hilton said that she hopes to keep up the momentum started during her first term.
“I think it’s a good day for Westbrook,” she said. “We’re going to continue to work together.”
Chuluda, who was waiting for election returns nearby at The Frog and Turtle on Bridge Street, conceded to Hilton Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Mrs. Hilton, and to those who have been elected, or re-elected,” Chuluda said. “The people have spoken.”
Chuluda said he wasn’t sure what his political future was yet, but he said he wasn’t ruling out a run for state representative. Whatever happens, Chuluda said, he still wants to keep his hat in the ring in some way.
“I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on Westbrook city politics,” he said.
Mayor Colleen Hilton embraces her sister, Patty, at a party at
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