Midnight
GRAY
Voters in Gray voted 2,541 to 2,045 in favor of borrowing $2.4 million to renovate and equip the deteriorating Pennell Institute building into a new town hall and town council chamber.

The former school was transferred to the town by the School Department last year. The project funded by a 20-year bond at 4.9 percent interest would add $25 for every $100,000 in taxable property.

Proponents said the project would preserve the building and give the community a needed new municipal building while opponents said there is no guarantee the renovation would preserve the building's historic integrity.

11:34
SOUTH PORTLAND

Patricia Smith and James Hughes were elected to the City Council on Tuesday.
Smith defeated Steven Onos in District 2 City Council race by a vote of 7,527 to 4,207. Hughes, the incumbent, fended off a challenge from Mark Gandolfo by a vote of 7,288 to 4,023.

Smith said she hoped to bring new ideas to the council while Onos said he wants to represent the average person. Hughes ran on a platform of government efficiency while Gandolfo said the city needs to work with citizens to develop a long-term vision.

In the Board of Education race, incumbents Ralph Baxter Jr. and Karen Callaghan held on to their seats. Callaghan had 6,826 votes; Baxter had 5,894. Challengers Jay Allen and Kendall Fassett had 3,388 and 3,116 votes, respectively.

The redrawing of elementary school district boundary lines played largely in the election, with the challengers criticizing the process and the incumbents saying community involvement was encouraged.

11:20
FREEPORT

The residents of Freeport decided two seats on the Freeport School Board, a bond to replace the Burnett Road Bridge near Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, and on whether to consolidate the schools in Freeport, Durham and Pownal.

Freeport voters approved school consolidation by a vote of 2,464 to 2,217.
They also approved funding a new Burnett Road Bridge, which was closed by the state in February and will cost the town $350,000 to repair. The bridge connects Wolfe's Neck Road with Flying Point Road along Maquoit Bay.

In 2000, the town found that an average of 290 vehicles used the bridge each day.

Residents approved the bridge by a vote of 3,025 to 1,745.

In the School Board race, incumbent Beth Parker and Kristen Bailey won seats, with 2,331 and 1,890 votes respectively. They defeated Maxwell "Jay" Perrotta and Nelson Larkins, who received 1,229 and 1,491 votes, respectively.

Both Parker and Perrotta said they wanted to oversee the consolidation process, while Larkins and Bailey said they were focused on improving the curriculum in Freeport schools.

11:16 p.m.
BRUNSWICK
Brunswick Town Council races

Four candidates ran for two seats on the Brunswick Town Council.

For an at-large seat, Deborah Atwood, a community organizer who coordinates Meals on Wheels in the area, led Nicholas D. Livesay, a lawyer, 5,511 votes to 4,264 votes.

In the Brunswick District 7 race, E. Benet Pols, a longtime resident and lawyer, was leading Richard E. Visser, a retired minister and newcomer to town, 848 to 447.

For the Brunswick School Committee, John B. Jones and Michele M. Royce won seats. Jones collected 4,817 votes to Matthew K. Lajoie's 3,900 in the at-large race, while Joyce received 728 votes to Carol E. Visser's 503 in District 7.

Results were unofficial at press time.

10:30 p.m.
SCARBOROUGH
Results in a five-way race for three Scarborough Town Council seats won't be known until Thursday because of a voting machine error.

The error occurred as town officials were completing a count of absentee ballots tonight. The voting machine reset to zero, forcing the count to begin again.

It was expected to take all night and most of Thursday morning to complete the count.

The error also affects a local nonbinding referendum asking residents if they'd like school officials to consider another name for the high school's sports teams, and a referendum on allowing Scarborough Downs to have slot machines, which was a key issue for the council candidates.

Shawn A. Babine, 42, Leroy P. Crockett, 39, and Karen D'Andrea, 48, all said they oppose the proposal for a racino. Ronald D. Ahlquist, 54, and Robert A. Baizley, 45, said they were neutral on the racino and would abide by voters' wishes.

10:15 p.m.
NORTH YARMOUTH
Voters in North Yarmouth passed a charter amendment to allow the annual town elections to be held on the second Tuesday in June, the same time as state elections, to save the town money.

The vote was 2,288 in favor of the change, and 107 in opposition.

Town elections have been held in May, on the Friday before the town meeting.

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