Hard work pays off for council challengers in Lewiston Wards 1, 7

LEWISTON — Incumbents in Wards 1 and 7 lost their City Council seats Tuesday in close voting.

Leslie Dubois defeated two-term Councilor John Butler by a tally of 413-328 to claim the Ward 1 seat.

In Ward 7, Michael Lachance defeated incumbent Richard Desjardins, 597-409.

Both candidates credited their wins to hard work and knocking on doors.

“Richard Desjardins is a great guy, and his voting record was great,” Lachance said. “But there was an energy difference. I just put a lot of energy into it. I had no idea how things were going to turn out. It just comes down to hard work on the ground, so I’m very happy.”

Dubois said she knocked on every door in her ward.

“I talked to the people, listened to them and followed up with phone calls,” she said. “I worked for it, and I won it.”

In Ward 5, Kristen Cloutier claimed a whopping 69 percent of the vote to win the council seat being vacated by Craig Saddlemire. Cloutier had 330 votes compared to challengers Charles Soule, 84 votes, and Richard White, 64 votes.

Cloutier also credited door-to-door campaigning with the win.

“I gave it my best effort and feel like I did everything I could,” she said. “My personality came through to voters, I think.”

The three new faces join four incumbents who kept their seats. In Ward 4, Doreen Christ preserved her seat by defeating challenger Darcy Reed 625-444.

Councilors in Wards 2, 3 and 6 were unopposed and easily kept their seats. Ward 2’s Don D’Auteuil collected 1,245 votes, Ward 3’s Nate Libby had 441 votes and Ward 6’s Mark Cayer had 1,063 votes.

City Clerk Kathy Montejo said the new councilors will be sworn in Jan. 6 at a ceremony at the Franco Center.

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: Martha Robinson watches her husband, Robert, 85, place his ballot in the new voting machine at Montello School in Lewiston’s Ward 2 on Tuesday. The couple votes in every election.