SACO — Democrat Allen Sicard beat incumbent Republican Cynthia Chadwick-Granger for the District 3 County Commission seat, representing Buxton, Dayton, Hollis, Old Orchard Beach and Saco.

Sicard beat Chadwick-Granger 10,981 to 9,338.

Sicard won the two largest municipalities, beating Chadwick-Granger 2,628 to 1,881 in Old Orchard Beach and 5,318 to 3,493 in Saco.

Chadwick-Granger bested Sicard 2,151 to 1729 in Buxton, 582 to 407 in Dayton and 1,231 to 899 in Hollis.

Sicard, 61, lives in Saco and is president of Rocky Coast Marketing.

In a pre-election questionnaire, Sicard described himself as a good listener and a problem solver, skills he said needed in a five-member commission, where you must find common ground.

He said his work on boards with the York County Federal Credit Union and Waban Projects has given him the skills needed to oversee the $20 million county budget.

When he begins his term in January, he will continue to support the Layman Way Recovery Center, which opened in April.

Sicard said the jail and the sheriff’s department combined make up half of the county budget, and it’s imperative that the commission works to keep their budget in line while ensuring the safety of county residents.

Sicard said one idea he has for the county is a proposed program through which municipalities would share services, such as the sharing of an employee between a larger city that is struggling to afford a full-time staff and a small town that may need limited part-time staff.

Under the proposal, the county would coordinate the program and municipalities could choose whether to opt into it. Sicard said it would be revenue neutral for the county and provide a tax savings to participating municipalities while giving the staff stability.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com