In Belfast, Mayor Walter Ash wins fourth term
Mayor Walter Ash, right, talks with Mack Page outside the city polls at the Belfast Boathouse, Nov. 5. Jim O’Connor, left, challenged Ash for the mayor’s seat. (Photo by Ethan Andrews)
Mayor Walter Ash (file photo)
Mayor Walter Ash, right, talks with Mack Page outside the city polls at the Belfast Boathouse, Nov. 5. Jim O’Connor, left, challenged Ash for the mayor’s seat. (Photo by Ethan Andrews)
Mayor Walter Ash (file photo)
BELFAST - In the first three-way race for mayor in over a decade, voters re-elected incumbent Walter Ash for a fourth term by a nearly two-to-one margin over his closest competitor.
Ash won handily across the city’s five wards, netting a total of 952 votes. Jim O’Connor, who ran a close second to Ash in the 2011 mayoral race, got 523 votes, while newcomer Thomas Burpee claimed 60 votes.
Ash, a resident of Ward 5, spent most of Election Day alongside O’Connor, greeting voters outside the Belfast Boathouse where the city recently consolidated polling places for Wards 1-4.
Asked what he thought of a fourth term, Ash said, “I think it’s cool. I worked hard.”
The mayor added that his rival O’Connor put in a strong bid.
“I commend him for his efforts,” Ash said, adding, “I’m tickled about how it turned out, of course.”
Ash said he’s looking forward to the future, including the planned development of a recreational trail along the former Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad corridor and other projects.
“Right now I’m overwhelmed,” he said with a hint of emotion in his voice. “I want to thank the people that voted for me.”
Regional School Unit 20 board of directors
A three-way contest for two seats representing Belfast on the Regional School Unit 20 board of directors had two clear winners.
Caitlin Hills and Charles Grey received 784 and 738 votes respectively and a place on the board. Christopher Hyk came up short with 475 votes.
With Hills and Grey on the board, Belfast will still have one vacant seat due to a resignation after the nomination period closed. City officials have talked alternately about appointing the losing candidate from the general election or another individual to be determined.
Belfast City Council
Voters re-elected Ward 3 and 4 City Councilors Eric Sanders and Mike Hurley to respective third terms. The two councilors ran unopposed.
Tallies as of 9 p.m. Tuesday were unofficial according to City Clerk Denise Beckett, who said the number of ballots left to be hand counted was very small. The totals above include votes cast on Nov. 5 and absentee ballots.
Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com
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