With all eight towns in School Administrative District SAD 17 reporting, voters seemed to overwhelmingly approve the proposed $43.7 million budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Final returns show 777 votes in favor and 350 opposed.

Also on the ballot Tuesday was the district’s $471,078 adult education budget and Vocational Region 11’s $3.76 million budget. Both passed easily — adult education with 72% of 1,152 votes cast and vocational with 75% of 1,151 ballots.

Results are unofficial until certified by election officials.

The school budget results, by town, were: Harrison, 126 yes, 58 no; Hebron, 27-6; Norway, 100-25; Otisfield, 32-9; Oxford, 194-118; Paris, 252-125; and Waterford, 23-5; and West Paris 23-4.

SAD 17 ELECTIONS

Two SAD 17 school board elections had identical results, Tuesday. In Paris, newcomer Julia Lester defeated incumbent Troy Ripley in his reelection bid, 106 to 88. In Norway, Jared Cash was reelected with 106 votes. Peter Wood’s received 88 votes to fill the second open seat. Gary Smith ran unopposed in Oxford and received 262 votes.

OXFORD ELECTIONS

In Oxford, four candidates were vying for two seats on the Board of Selectmen. Floyd Thayer finished with 195 votes and current Board Chair Scott Hunter retained his seat with 157 votes. Current Vice Chair Samantha Hewey finished third with 151 votes. Ryan Brown received 149 votes. Thayer previously served five terms, starting in 2004. Hunter was reelected for the third time.

Penny Lowe was was the only candidate running for Oxford’s Water District Board and received 262 votes.

NORWAY ELECTIONS

Chairman Russell Newcomb ran unopposed and will serve an eighth term on the Select Board, receiving 115 votes out of 130 cast.

Cynthia Reedy and Jessie Shiers were elected trustees for the Norway Memorial Library with 108 and 91 votes, respectively.

PARIS ELECTIONS

Political newcomer Walter Perry defeated Rusty Brackett on Tuesday for a seat on the Select Board, denying the board chairman a third term.

Perry, a teacher, coach and science department chairman at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, mounted a spirited campaign against the incumbent. Perry finished with 225 votes, compared to 165 for Brackett, who had been on the Select Board since 2016.

Brackett received the endorsement of Town Manager Dawn Noyes, who cited that the present board worked well together and she hoped it would remain intact. Perry thought the endorsement, written on town stationary, was inappropriate, especially when he said it reflected support by the entire town.

Elected to the Paris Utility District Trustees for three-year terms were Bradley Frost and Darren Boyce with 269 and 188 votes, respectively.

BUCKFIELD ELECTIONS

Four candidates ran unopposed for four Select Board seats, but Matthew Whitney launched a write-in campaign against Janet Iverson, who was running to complete the term of Chairwoman Tina Brooks, who resigned for family reasons. Whitney received 32 write-in votes against Iverson’s 82 votes.

Also elected to the board were Michael Iverson, Janet’s husband, who will serve a three-year term, replacing Martha Catevenis. For the two newly created seats, Cameron Hinkley will serve a two-year term and Robert Hand’s term is for one year. Hinkley received 96 votes, while Michael Iverson and Hand each received 94 votes.

Hinkley’s and Hand’s seats will become three-year terms the next time they are on the ballot to make sure there are not more than two Select Board seats are up for election at the same time.

HARRISON ELECTIONS

In Harrison, Philip Devlin and Frederick Ross took the open selectmen’s seats with 89 and 75 votes, respectively. Sierra Scribner finished third with 74 votes and Kathy Bracken received 55.

Wendy Gallant (136 votes) and James Dayton (121 votes) were both reelected to the Planning Board; and Douglas Wall, running unopposed, retained his Appeals Board seat.

All articles on Harrison’s Town Meeting warrant were approved, including the $3,695,401 budget for fiscal year 2021-22.

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