ROCKLAND, Maine — Residents returned former Mayor Will Clayton to the city council Tuesday and elected Valli Geiger to the board although the third-place finisher has asked to inspect the ballots for a possible recount.
Voters also overwhelmingly repealed a pay-per-bag ordinance adopted by city council — the second time such a local law has been repealed by voters in the past several years.
Clayton was the top vote-getter in a three-way race for two seats on the council. Clayton received 1,503 votes. Geiger won a seat with 1,208 votes. Theodore Berry finished 35 votes behind Geiger with 1,173 votes.
Berry asked to inspect the ballots and a review of them will be undertaken Friday morning at 9 at city hall, City Attorney Kevin Beal said Wednesday.
Clayton and Geiger will replace councilors Dr. Eric Hebert and Elizabeth Dickerson. Neither incumbent sought re-election to the council, though Dickerson was re-elected to a second term in the Maine House to represent Rockland and Owls Head by 1,744 votes to 1,612 for James Michael Kalloch. The two new councilors will be sworn in Nov. 17.
Incumbent Regional School Unit 13 board member Carol Bachofner was re-elected by defeating challenger Kyle Reniche 1,244 to 754.
Voters repealed the ordinance that would have mandated people pay a per-bag fee for trash disposal by a 1,834 to 748 vote. Voters repealed a similar mandatory pay-per-bag ordinance adopted by the council by a 959 to 479 vote in June 2006.
City Manager Tom Luttrell said Wednesday the city council will need to regroup and determine how to fund the solid-waste operations. The repeal did not overturn an increase in the annual dump-sticker fee from $65 to $135, which was approved earlier this year by the council. That sticker price runs through May 1.
Voters also gave a resounding “yes” vote to a $1.6 million bond issue to repair Old County Road. That bond passed 2,047 to 551.
Luttrell said the city will work with its engineers and put the project out to bid this winter with the plan for work to be done in the spring. He said he also would ask the Maine Department of Transportation again to kick in more than $500,000 to help reduce the cost to Rockland but was unsure whether that would be successful.