BROWNFIELD – Brownfield residents elected two new selectmen Tuesday, filling the void in town government left by a June recall vote that wiped out the three-member board.
Cynthia Willets, a computer consultant, won the one-year position with 317 votes. She topped David Thompson, who ran again after being recalled, by 131 votes. A third candidate, Jesse Smith, received 27 votes.
Steven Gourley won the two-year ticket, outpolling Erik Walker and Bruce Collins.
After Vincent Pestilli and Thompson were voted off the board, and Irving Potter was not re-elected, Brownfield was left with no one to run town business. Newly elected selectman Richard Norcross could not make decisions without a quorum.
Town Attorney Durward Parkinson had asked the court for special permission to give Julie Watkins, the town administrator, authority to sign checks.
That court order will become void when selectmen have their first meeting Tuesday night, Watkins said.
Willets, reached by phone the day after the July 18 elections, said the three new selectmen’s first goal is to return harmony to the town and to work collaboratively with the public.
“The first thing all of the selectmen want is to bring the tone down a bit, less rancor,” Willets said. “Part of the problem going into this was that people were starting to feel disenfranchised.”
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