Voters oust Mendros, Jean to make Lewiston council turnover complete 
LEWISTON — Strong anti-incumbent sentiment fueled a City Council turnover at the polls Tuesday.
Incumbent councilors Stavros Mendros and Ron Jean fell behind to challengers.
In Ward 1, attorney Thomas Peters II ousted Mendros, 358-246.
In Ward 4, Denis Theriault ended Jean’s eight-year council stint. Theriault had 534 votes, Jean, 319.
“I voted for anybody that was not an incumbent,” said William Will of 199 Pine St. “I don’t like the way the city or the state is run. And I’m looking for a change.”
It goes beyond wanting change, Peters said.
“Some of the vote was anti-incumbent, to be sure, but I think people have some legitimate concerns about the city,” he said. “They’re concerned about taxes being too high, about new taxes like the rain tax, and with oil prices so high, people are really starting to hurt.”
Peters said he’s eager to get started.
“I want to hear from the public, from the Planning Board, and from everyone that has a concern,” he said. “It’s time to be inclusive, to get more people in city government. We have tough issues to tackle, but we will prevail.”
Peters’ brother Nelson Peters claimed the top votes in a tough three way race in Ward 2. Nelson Peters earned 506 votes, defeating Joseph Roy, with 366 votes, and Douglas Foss, with 295 votes. Nelson credited his wife and sons for the win.
“They put out 1,500 fliers in the last week before the election,” he said. “They were determined to get that done.”
In Ward 3, Larry Poulin defeated David Vincent, 253-116. Poulin said he spent the better part of the last weekend before the election knocking on doors in his ward. It paid off later Tuesday afternoon.
“I didn’t see many people I met coming in early, so I started getting pretty nervous,” he said. “But I began recognizing faces as the day went on.”
Tina Bailey took the Ward 5 seat in another three-way race, garnering 210 votes. Challenger David Hughes had a 157 votes and perennial candidate Charles Soule drew 120 votes.
Elizabeth Dube also claimed a win in Ward 6, besting Harry Millikin, 543-465. Dube said she had stopped actively campaigning about midway through the election because of a family emergency but was eager to serve.
“We have two women on the council, and that’s just awesome,” Bailey said.
Mayor Larry Gilbert and Ward 7’s Robert Reed were the only candidates guaranteed a win. Gilbert, unopposed to claim his first full term, drew 4,912 votes. Reed, seeking his first term as a councilor, earned 829 votes.
Jen Cooper, of Janelle Street, said she didn’t appreciate not having more choices for those two seats.
“There were no choices,” she said. “I’d rather see people run against each other. Then you have a real choice in the matter.”
The new council will be sworn in Jan. 7.
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