Former Fire Chief Leverett “Tink” Mitchell on Tuesday apparently won a close three-way race to fill the City Council Ward 7 position left vacant by the death of Ruthe Pargurko.

Cal Stilphen said this morning he will seek a recount. The voter turnout was huge, and there were long lines of people waiting to be registered.

Stilphen won Tuesday’s polling, but the count of absentee ballots put Mitchell over the top. Larry Scott was a close third. six behind, with 226; and Scott a close third at 218.

Stilphen garnered 117 votes Tuesday, Mitchell 167 and Scott 150. But the absenteevote totals were contributing to an inconclusive result.

“Absolutely,” Stilphen said when asked if he would seek a recount. “In a vote this close, yes.”

City Clerk Mary White said this morning that Ward 7 figures are not final.

“They won’t be final until tonight,” White said. “I’ve got to go over all the paperwork.”

Stilphen said 44 ballots came through as blank, and had to be recounted. Later, officials ran out of Ward 7 ballots. Those had to be recounted, Stilphen said.

In other contested City Council races, incumbent Bernard Wyman easily won re-election in Ward 4, while Carolyn Lockwood defeated incumbent Kyle Rogers in Ward 3. Wyman won by a 310- 170 vote over Fran Simmler, while Lockwood defeated Rogers, 294-262.

Told early this morning he apparently had won, Mitchell said all three candidates worked hard for support.

“We all put in a lot of time,” Mitchell said. “It’s a good thing that people looked over the candidates really good, and fortunately I came out on top.”

In Ward 2, Sean Paulhus ran without opposition.

The new council members will be sworn in Wednesday, Dec. 5. By charter, that meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.

Regional School Unit 1 Kyle Yacoben, of West Bath, and Stephen Mathew, of Bath, won unopposed on the school board. Yacoben succeeds Chet Garrison, while Mathew replaces Julie Rice.

Richmond reverses, OKs building code

RICHMOND — While they voted it down at the 2012 annual town meeting, the adoption of the Maine Uniform Building Code squeaked through a town-wide referendum Tuesday by only 62 votes, 815 to 753.

Peter Warner, with 370 votes, was chosen Tuesday to fill the remainder of a vacant position on the Board of Selectmen until June 20, 2013. Frederick Browne was runner up with 327 votes; Timothy Arnold got 292.

Former selectman Daniel Dunton announced June 13 he was resigning due to personal and professional commitments, leaving one year of a three-year-term to be filled.

Adoption of the uniform state building code was discussed and voted down at Town Meeting in April.

Durham rejects RSU 5 departure

DURHAM — Voters decisively reversed course Tuesday, choosing 1,718 to 650 to stay in Regional School Unit 5 with Pownal and Freeport.

By scuttling a withdrawal petition, the town avoids having to spend an estimated $1.5 million per year to educate its students as a stand-alone school system.

More than 2,428 people, 77 percent of registered voters, turned out Tuesday.

The results reflected a reversal of popular local sentiment. For several years, opinion has been that Durham spends too much money on the RSU without enough return, and that membership in the union has driven up town property taxes.

But a presentation by the town’s Education Exploration Committee in mid-October revealed that while Durham has 30 percent of the district’s students, it pays only 13 percent of overall school costs.

Also Tuesday, unopposed candidate Sarah Small won a seat on the Board of Selectmen by garnering 2,171 votes. Small will replace resigning board member Phil Gilikson.

RSU 12 apparently OKs new cost formula

Boosted by solid backing in Wiscasset and Westport Island — two municipalities threatening to secede — a new cost-sharing formula for the eight Regional School Unit 12 towns appeared on its way to easy passage today.

On Tuesday, Wiscasset residents voted for the new allocation 1,349 to 533; Westport Island voted yes 379 to 79.

Windsor passed the measure 579-526, and Somerville voted against it, 105-133. Figures were provided by the RSU 12 superintendent.

As of this morning, Alna, Chelsea, Palermo and Whitefield had not reported.

The new formula will provide cost reductions to residents of Westport Island and Wiscasset; both have been studying withdrawal from RSU 12. Alna also will receive a cost break, but towns in the northern part of the far-flung school unit such as Palermo, Somerville and Windsor will take a hit.

Wiscasset’s vote for the revised plan does not mean the town won’t proceed with withdrawal. If the state approves the withdrawal plan, it could go to a townwide vote sometime next year.

“My sense is it doesn’t matter on the allocation, with withdrawal,” said Eugene Stover, an RSU 12 board member from Wiscasset who voted for the new allocation. “They want the local control and the high school back.”

Stover said many in town were unhappy with the way RSU 12 handled the changing of Wiscasset High School’s nickname.

The January school board vote abruptly changed the mission of the Wiscassetbased committee, which had been assembled by the board just a few months earlier to study the mascot issue and eventually return with a recommendation on whether to keep the name or replace it.

Though some residents questioned RSU 12’s upkeep of Wiscasset’s schools, Stover said he has toured the schools and notes no major issues.

Topsham validates fireworks controls

TOPSHAM — Topsham residents narrowly declined to overturn a June 12 referendum that banned all sale and use of consumer fireworks in town.

The unofficial tally was 2,784 to 2,691 against overturning town rules that supplanted state regulations.

Selectman David Douglass said the three-part ballot question June 12 confused voters and split votes in support of fireworks.

In response to the 93-vote defeat Tuesday, Douglass said he felt the referendum accomplished everything it was intended to by asking “in a clear way” whether residents wanted to allow sale and use of fireworks.

He will not ask for a recount, he said.

A state law that allows sale and use of consumer fireworks took effect Jan. 1. In response, many municipalities enacted ordinances to regulate their sale and use.

Topsham saw an 83 percent voter turnout Tuesday, clerks said.

Russell cruises back to Topsham board

TOPSHAM — In a two-way race for a seat on the Board of Selectmen, incumbent Don Russell won a second term by 901 votes over William Thompson Jr.

Thompson, who currently serves on the Finance Committee, garnered 1,622 votes but Russell won 2,523 votes, unofficial results said.

Thompson said he ran because of his experience on the Finance Committee andtold The Times Record he would run for the next open position on the board.

Russell felt he could continue to be an asset to the Board of Selectmen given years of experience, commitment and sense of civility.

This morning, Russell said of his win that, “I certainly am honored and pleased with the results of the election for the Board of Selectmen, and I want to thank all those people that supported me and their words of encouragement during my campaign. I am looking forward to serving another three years on the Board of Selectmen, helping move Topsham forward.”

Russell thanked Thompson “for his efforts and his willingness to run for selectman, giving the people of Topsham choice at the polls.”

In an email response to The Times Record Tuesday, Thompson said: “I want to send congratulations to Don Russell on his re-election…. I’m satisfied I did everything I needed to do as the challenger to get my name out.”

Current selectman Andrew Mason, who has a year remaining of a three-year term, said this morning he plans to resign from the board of Selectmen after his election to House District 60.

Phippsburg OKs land-use ordinance

PHIPPSBURG — Voters on Tuesday approved a new landuse ordinance that will comply with the town’s comprehensive plan.

Figures supplied by the town show the ordinance passed 684 to 594. The new ordinance will increase allowed building heights to 40 feet, allow the rental of private campsites and institute a reduction in setbacks on private roads.

A copy of the ordinance is available at the town office, or on the town’s website.

A land-use plan failed by a tie, 236-236 vote in April, sending the Planning Board back to work. At the time, some expressed concern the ordinance would place too many restrictions on campgrounds in town.

Incumbent ousted from Freeport board

FREEPORT — Challenger Andrew Wellen defeated incumbent and 10-year Town Council veteran James Cassida in the District 4 race.

Of 1,183 votes cast, Wellen got 655 votes to Cassida’s 528, for a majority of 55 percent.

“I felt like I had a good chance of winning as I gathered momentum through the campaign,” Wellen said.

He campaigned on a platform of increased public input and protecting residents from overdevelopment and excessive spending.

“I’ll work to get a lot of public input in decisions before they’re made, and will work hard to control costs through planning,” Wellen said. “ I want to assure (constituent) that residential areas will be protected from commercial development, but also while supporting businesses as appropriate.”

Wellen, a social worker with no previous political experience holding public office, will begin his first term in public office when the council reconvenes for its next regular meeting Dec. 4.

Also Tuesday, Melanie Sachs won the council’s uncontested at-large seat.

Lisbon voters seem to nix budget panel

LISBON — By only a 69- vote margin, voters Tuesday agreed to eliminate the voterelected Budget Advisory Board in town and to replace it with a Town Councilappointed Finance Committee, according to preliminary results.

The referendum seeking to do away with the Budget Advisory Committee passed Tuesday 2,122 to 2,053: 1,023 “yes” votes and 982 “no” votes in District 1; 1,099 “yes” votes and 1,071 “no” votes in District 2.

The Town Council has amended its administrative code to provide for a Finance Committee appointed by the council to perform the functions of the Budget Advisory Board, and to assume additional financial responsibility.

In an advisory-only referendum, Lisbon voters also decided to dissolve all functions of the Lisbon Water Department, by 35 votes, 2,247 to 2,212.

The question passed in District 1 by an unofficial tally of 1,122-1,051 but failed in District 2 with 1,161 “no” votes and 1,125 “yes” votes.

Town Manager Steve Eldridge wrote in an email that the Town Council could submit a charter change to the Legislature this year and if it passes there, the change will come back to the voters to be adopted.

If approved, the water commission would be dissolved and the department would become a department of the town similar to the sewer department, which has its own budget separate of the municipal budget, funded by user fees.

19-year-old wins election in Lisbon

LISBON — In a two-way race for the District 2 seat on the Town Council, recent Lisbon High School graduate Dillon Pesce beat local business owner Tyler Golletti in a 1,388-to-681 vote; and Gregg Garrison defeated opponent Eric Metivier for the at-large council seat, 2,174 to 1,593.

The town clerk’s office said 74.2 percent of voters turned out.

Pesce, 19, said this morning he is the youngest person to serve on the town’s council.

“I am extremely, extremely honored and extremely happy that I’m going to be serving the citizens of Lisbon,” Pesce said. “I honestly feel I can do a good job and I’m excited with what I can bring to the table.”

Pesce graduated Lisbon High School as the class of 2012 senior class president and a sergeant of cadets in the la-enforcement program of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center.

Garrison said this morning, “I look forward to the next three years and doing what the people of Lisbon need to get done; doing the right thing.”

Dorothy Fitzgerald, whose term on the Budget Advisory Board for District 1 expired, ran uncontested for the atlarge Budget Advisory Board seat and garnered 3,713 votes — 1,831 from District 1 and 1,882 from District 2.

Uncontested School Committee incumbents Herbert “Pete” Reed won 2,134 votes and Kathi Yergin 2,620 votes.

Incumbent Mark Lunt ran uncontested for District 1 council seat and got 1,781 votes.

Winning write-in candidates will be announced soon, possibly later today, for the Water Commission seat, for which no one returned papers.

Wiscasset voters OK ordinances, dam

WISCASSET — Voters approved the town’s acquisition of land that includes a dam on Montsweag Brook, and said yes to two others ordinances on Tuesday’s municipal ballot.

Central Maine Power Co. will deed the real estate and grant $100,000 to the town for stewardship and monitoring. The measure passed handily, 1,250 to 725.

Residents also passed a new subdivision review ordinance, 1,102-819; and a siteplan review ordinance, 1.021- 804, on Tuesday.

On June 12, residents has voted for the CMP transaction, but at least two selectmen — Chairwoman Pam Dunning and Ed Polewarczyk — said it would be a financial burden to the town, and that issues have since arisen.

Selectwoman Judy Colby countered that voters knew what they were doing when they voted June 12.

Last May, a state official inspected the dam and said the concrete was in good condition. But a buildup of trees and brush had compacted on the embankment on both sides of the dam. The flotsam would need to be removed and gravel brought in to build up the embankment, the state said.

Prescott, Perreault Brunswick board

BRUNSWICK — Joy Prescott and Corinne Perreault both won seats on the town’s school board Tuesday, earning 68 and 76 percent of the vote in their respective districts.

Perreault, the District 4 incumbent, defeated challenger

Frederico Senence 1,134 to 366. Likewise, Prescott defeated challenger Dale King for the at-large seat by an unofficial count of 6,598 to 3,149.

None of the other municipal races was contested. Winners were: Chris McCarthy, District 3 School Board; incumbent District 3 Town Councilor Suzan Wilson; District 4 Councilor John Perreault; and John G. Richardson Jr., a former Baldacci administration official, who won the council’s atlarge seat.

Harspwell changes treasurer’s status

HARPSWELL — Voters narrowly decided to change the municipal treasurer’s position from an elected position to one appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

The article passed by only 226 votes, with 1,760 voters — or 53 percent — favoring the change and 1,534 opposed.

The position’s three-year term remains unchanged; the new policy will take effect at the 2013 Town Meeting, scheduled for early March.