Politics & Government
Breton, Desilets Win Board Seats in Windham
Plus, town and school budgets and school renovation construction project also approved but some items were rejected.
WINDHAM, NH — Windham’s postponed town election was held on March 18, 2017, with more than a third of the town participating and sending the town’s two Board of Selectmen incumbents back to their seats, according to the unofficial returns. Incumbent Bruce Breton topped the ticket with 2,108 votes on Saturday with current chairman Joel Desilets coming in second with 1,931 votes. Galen Stearns came in third with 1,515 votes.
In the Planning Board race, Margaret Crisler and Paul Gosslin easily won the two seats against Matthew Rounds.
Other candidates – Doreen Demone on the Trustees of the Trust Fun, Mark Samsel on the ZBA, Barbara Coish of Trustee of the Cemetry, and Mark Branoff and Neelima Gogumalla, both Trustees of the Library – were unopposed.
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Nearly 35 percent of the town’s registered voters – 3,604 – participated in the election.
Windham voters also approved all town articles including the purchase of a new fire ladder truck as well as trust fund transfers and union contracts.
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Voters also approved one zoning article – the Cobbetts Pond-Canobie Lake Watershed Protection Ordinance – but rejected the second article – a petition to amend the zoning ordinance relative for the Village Center District requiring a special use permit for retail businesses to provide access easements to any adjoining rural district.
Schools
In the school board race, Rob Breton and Keleigh McAllister easily bested Ken Eyring and Cynthia Finn by two-to-one margins.
Nearly 62 percent of voters also approved of a $38.9 million article to renovation and add an addition to the Golden Brook School. Voters, however, rejected a proposal for $547,000 to be spent on an expanded gym for the school. Voters also rejected a proposal for $345,000 to be spent on a new middle school field which failed to garner 3/5ths of the vote.
Voters approved union contracts, reserve fund transfers, and also a $49.99 million school budget but rejected a proposal to spend $140,000 to redesign and construct a new school bus drop-off area for the Center School.
Image via Shutterstock.
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