WINDHAM – Windham’s race for Town Council and School Board were the only political races facing Lakes Region voters Tuesday.

And with 40 percent of Windham voters turning out – a “good turnout” for a off-year election, according to Assistant Town Clerk Rita Bernier – voters re-elected Tommy Gleason to the council and welcomed newcomers David Nadeau and Dennis Welch.

On the School Board, the top two vote getters were longtime incumbent Kate Brix and newcomer Dawn Perkins.

TOWN COUNCIL

Without the two write-in candidates, John Carlberg Jr. and Ryan McDonald, Windham’s three races for council would have offered residents little choice. The only officially contested race pitted Patrick Corey against incumbent Gleason, who was elected last year for a one-year term. Gleason won 2,036 to 1,801, and will serve a full three-year term in the at-large seat.

“I’m very pleased. It was a good race between Patrick and I, and I’m just very, very happy to be re-elected,” Gleason said.

Gleason has several goals in coming years. Chief among them are “making sure the council doesn’t become divided,” he said.

He also wants to fast-track adoption of a comprehensive plan, without which, he said, the town doesn’t qualify for grant funding. Specifically, he is concerned that granting institutions won’t help Windham with the proposed sewer upgrade without a state-approved comprehensive plan.

“We have to get the comp plan as fast as possible,” Gleason said. “I’m for the sewer, but with the stipulation that we can get some grants to help pay for it.”

Corey, who is a regular speaker during public participation at council meetings and ran in last year’s council contest against eventual winner Kevin Call and then-incumbent Donna Chapman, managed a higher vote percentage in Tuesday’s election, but still fell 200 votes shy of Gleason’s total.

“I want to thank everyone who supported me,” Corey said Wednesday. “It was a good election.”

Corey knocked on 700 doors during the campaign and says he plans to remain engaged in local issues, especially the sewer proposal that town leaders plan to seek voter input on in next November’s election.

“It’s a very expensive proposition for Windham so I plan to be active in the sewer discussion,” he said.

The other two races featured two write-ins running against two declared candidates.

In the East District, David Nadeau, who fell short in two previous bids for a council seat, was successful in his third attempt. He secured a three-year seat with a win over write-in Ryan McDonald.

The 10-year veteran of the Windham Planning Board said he will miss the judicial role of the Planning Board, but looks forward to the legislative, policy-making ability he’ll have as a member of the council.

“I had great difficulty running for council and leaving the Planning Board,” Nadeau said, “but I felt I could do more at the Town Council level. But I will miss the interactions I had on the board.”

Nadeau, who is on vacation this month in Florida and will miss the new councilors’ swearing-in ceremony next Tuesday, is also looking forward to the sewer discussion. He said councilors need more information “on how the sewer is going to function, and by that I mean whether it will be free flowing, or if there are pumps, what kind of pumps will they be, things like that.”

Nadeau said he has yet to make up his mind on the need for a sewer. “The jury’s still out, very much so, the main thing is how do you get participation in (paying) for the sewer,” he said.

Aside from the sewer, Nadeau has a “bunch of ideas,” one of which is to set clear goals and directives for the town manager and council. He says some councilors are intent on managing department heads, bypassing the town manager in the process.

“I promise I will not micromanage the town manager. You give him direction and he goes and does it. His performance should be weighed on whether he has carried out the will of the Town Council,” Nadeau said.

Nadeau also said he wants to see the council set goals and objectives for itself, and then voters can weigh the council’s success on whether they’ve met those goals.

“Not only should we be able to effectively measure the town manager’s performance, but voters need a way to evaluate councilors’ effectiveness,” he said.

McDonald was disappointed with the loss, saying he feels the residents of Windham have spoken for “more controlled development and increased regulation” by voting for Nadeau. Despite not being listed on the ballot, McDonald, a Planning Board member, managed 130 votes.

Nadeau and McDonald have often been on opposite ends of the spectrum on development issues as members of the Planning Board. McDonald thought the vote Tuesday would be tighter but doesn’t use his write-in candidacy as an excuse for losing.

“I would say after yesterday, that I think it’s pretty apparent the direction people want Windham to go. But from the people I talked to (before the election) I wasn’t getting that indication. I guess you could say I was hopeful,” he said. “But it seems to me a clear decision was made.”

The other council race pitted newcomer Dennis Welch against write-in candidate John Carlberg, Jr., a member of the Planning Board. With a final tally of 3,350 to 159, Welch won in commanding fashion against Carlberg. Town Clerk Linda Morrell said Carlberg received several votes under the write-in slot for the Nadeau/McDonald race.

“I think some people were confused and didn’t know where to put him in,” Morrell said of Carlberg.

Carlberg and Welch could not be reached for comment prior to deadline.

Morrell also won re-election handily in her uncontested town clerk’s race, with 4,022 votes.

In all, more than 4,500 of the town’s 11,406 registered voters cast ballots Tuesday.

SCHOOL BOARD RACE

With 2,595 votes, longtime Windham resident and political newcomer Dawn Perkins took the top spot in the three-way race for two seats on the RSU 14 Windham-Raymond School Board.

Perkins was excited with the win and wants to get to work immediately learning more about issues facing the school and going over the district’s strategic plan. Her first meeting was Wednesday night, just a day after winning a seat.

Perkins said she will focus on making sure “the quality of education is being met” in Windham schools. She is also interested in learning more about school consolidation and how that would impact cost savings and learning.

Nine-year veteran Kate Brix was also elected to her fourth term on the board Tuesday. She edged Bethany-Ann Davis, 2,165 votes to 1,767.

“I’m pretty honored that citizens still have confidence in me to represent them on the school board,” Brix said Wednesday. “I’m glad to welcome Dawn (Perkins) to the board and I think she will bring a fresh perspective, which is always great to have.”

Brix and Perkins also thanked Davis for running.

“I want to thank Beth Davis,” Brix said. “It’s always a testament to citizens of the town to step up and go through this process.”

Perkins added, “I thought Ann had a good run and I’m hopeful she’ll seek opportunities to serve in the future.”