GORHAM – In a squeaker on Tuesday, Gorham voters approved a $4.99 million plan to upgrade the town’s public safety headquarters, but by a wide margin, approved defining “moral turpitude.”

In a four-way race for three School Committee seats, voters chose Dennis Libby, who was the top vote getter with 3,960; Sara Nelson, 3,862; and Suzanne Phillips, 3,326. They bested college student Forrest Genthner, 19, who made a strong bid with 3,070 votes.

Libby, 47, and Nelson, 45, were incumbents.

“I am truly honored to be able to continue to serve our community,” Libby said. “I want to thank everyone for supporting me, and I will continue to work diligently to keep improving our district with a fiscally responsible budget.”

Nelson said on Wednesday, “I’m thrilled, really happy to be serving our town and our kids again and to continue the work.”

Phillips, 38, who did not seek re-election to the Town Council, thanked the voters for their support for the School Committee.

“This result really validates my decision to move on from the Town Council,” Phillips said. “I look forward to working with Dennis, Sara and the rest of the committee.”

Town Council Chairman Michael Phinney and retired Police Chief Ronald Shepard ran uncontested for seats on the council. The Town Council and School Committee posts are three-year terms.

In a lengthy quest to update the town’s aging public safety headquarters at 270 Main St., voters in Gorham’s Ward 1 cemented the victory. The measure won approval overall by a scant 98 votes, 3,588-3,490. Ward 1 voters put the proposal over the top, 1,435-1,294, while the measure narrowly lost in Ward 2, 1,404-1,398, and also was defeated in Central, 792-755.

The vote clears the way for construction.

“The public safety project should begin sometime this coming spring,” Gorham Town Manager David Cole said on Wednesday.

The town has studied plans for more than a decade at resolving cramped conditions at its Public Safety Building. But voters in 2013 rejected a $6.3 million proposal that would have built a new public safety complex in Little Falls.

Under the public safety plan voters approved this week, a new, 10,000-square-foot building will be constructed to house the police department. The existing building, which opened in 1974 as a municipal center, will be renovated and expanded for the fire department.

Gorham voters overwhelmingly supported changing the town’s charter to define “moral turpitude.” Voters backed the measure, 5,655-1,580, and its passage swept both voting wards and central.

Under the amendment approved by voters, town councilors violating the “moral turpitude” clause would be kicked off the board for a future conviction of murder or a class A, B, C or D crime, which includes drunk driving.

“That won by a landslide,” Town Councilor Matthew Robinson said on Wednesday. “That was a whole statement.”

The controversial issue arose when two town councilors within two years each pleaded guilty to operating under the influence. Robinson, who supported the charter change, said he felt vindicated by the voters for the heat he took on his relentless stance opposing councilors with operating under the influence convictions to continue serving on the Town Council.

“I was absolutely thrilled,” Robinson said.

In legislative races, Rep. Amy Volk, R-Scarborough, has supplanted Sen, Jim Boyle, D-Gorham, in the state’s Senate District 30.

The district represents Gorham and parts of Scarborough and Buxton.

In Gorham, Boyle took both wards and central, easily defeating Volk, 3,916-3,435, while Volk prevailed handily in Buxton, 1,863-1,388. But Volk captured Scarborough by a 1,167-vote margin, 4,991-3,824.

Rep. Linda Sanborn, D-Gorham, has retained her seat in House District 26, representing part of Gorham.

Sanborn tallied 2,134 votes. The Gorham election report did not include votes for Kenneth Hoyt, who was on the ballot but did not respond to requests for information about his candidacy.

Rep. Andrew McLean, D-Gorham, beat challenger Tyler Kinney, R-Gorham, in the House District 27 race. The district includes part of Gorham and part of Scarborough. McLean ruled in Gorham, 2,269-1,396 but just edged Kinney in Scarborough, 280-276.

In the race for governor, Republican Paul LePage won Gorham, 3,716 votes, versus 3,212 for Mike Michaud, the Democrat, and 622 for Eliot Cutler, independent.

For U.S. Senate, incumbent Republican Susan Collins defeated her Democratic opponent, Shenna Bellows, 5,367-2,114.

For U.S. House District 1, incumbent Democrat Chellie Pingree had 3,797 votes, local resident Isaac Misiuk, the Republican, 3,070; and Richard Murphy, 399.

Turnout statistics were not available at American Journal deadline Wednesday. However, at Ward 2 in Gorham Tuesday, Jan Labrecque, a registrar of voters, said, “We’re really busy.”

Nicole Tombarelli casts her local and state ballots on Tuesday in Gorham’s Ward 2 while election worker Norman Weed watches.