WATERVILLE — Voters Tuesday elected two new city councilors — Lauren Lessing and Nicholas Mark Champagne — and re-elected Tiffany Y. Laliberty and Joan Phillips-Sandy to the Waterville Board of Education member.
Also, incumbent Kennebec Water District trustees Jeff A. Earickson, of North Riverside Drive, and Michael J. Talbot, of Lantern Lane, were re-elected with 3,770 and 4,558 votes, respectively. They ran unopposed and represent all seven wards.
Lessing, a Democrat, defeated unenrolled candidate Christopher S. Smith, 768-192, for the Ward 3 council seat being vacated by Rosemary Winslow, a Democrat who chose not to seek re-election. Nicholas Mark Champagne, a Republican, defeated Democrat Zachary William Whittemore, 680-465, for the Ward 5 council seat held by Chairman John O’Donnell, a Democrat who also did not run for re-election.
Lessing said late Tuesday that she was pleased to have been elected.
“I’m very humbled by the support that I’ve received from the folks in my ward and I look forward to working with and for them,” she said.
She added that she looks forward to working with her colleagues on the City Council during a time when there are a lot of exciting things happening in the city.
“I think it’s a great group; we’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said.
Champagne was at the polls around 9:10 p.m. Tuesday when City Clerk Patti Dubois handed out the results.
“I am deeply humbled by all the support and I look forward to representing Ward 5 on the City Council and earning their trust over the next three years,” Champagne said. “It’s time to get to work.”
Champagne, 29, of Collette Street and a professional engineer for A.E. Hodsdon Engineering, said during his campaign for council that he ran for the seat because many of his friends and neighbors urged him to do so because of his experience, knowledge and passion for the city, in addition to his fiscally responsible mindset working with others to achieve results.
Laliberty, a Democrat, defeated challenger Joel. O. Dyer, a Republican, for Laliberty’s Ward 5 seat on the Board of Education, 710-428. Dyer announced late last week that he would not take the school board seat if elected, as he was hired to work at Mid-Maine Technical Center and is prohibited from holding both positions.
Laliberty said late Tuesday that she wanted to thank everyone who voted.
“I look forward to continuing my work on the school board,” she said.
Phillips-Sandy, a Democrat who lives on Cleveland Place, ran unopposed for her Ward 3 seat on the Board of Education and garnered 933 votes.
Meanwhile, Lessing, 47, of Merrill Street, and director of academic and public programs at Colby College Museum of Art, said during her candidacy that she feels it is important to give back to the community and to serve in local government. Her opponent, Smith, 28, of Grouse Lane and lead desktop technician 3 for Change Health Care, based in Augusta, said during the campaign that budget cuts are needed because residents are struggling to make ends meet.
Whittemore, 22, of Crestwood Drive, and lead rental agent at Keystone Management, said he and his fiancée want to start a family in Waterville and he wanted to help ensure the economy and environment are such that they are able to stay in the area. Laliberty, 40, of West River Road and a stay-at-home mother, said she ran for re-election because she has had a positive experience during her three years on the Board of Education and wants to continue to serve so she can be a strong voice for Ward 5 residents. Dyer, 39, of Sterling Street and a AAA travel consultant before being hired as an educational technician for Mid-Maine Technical Center, said he ran because he wanted the best education for not only his children, but also for other children in the city.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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