Two newcomers from opposite ends of the political spectrum beat out an incumbent for seats on the Hermon School Committee while an incumbent and two new members were elected to three seats on the town council.
Haily Keezer, 38, endorsed by the Christian Civic League of Maine, garnered 402 votes, the most of the eight school committee candidates on Tuesday’s ballot. Christopher McLaughlin, a 47-year-old social worker supported by the local teachers’ union, received 318 votes.
Town Councilor Anthony Reynolds, 66, who ran for school committee rather than for reelection to the town council came in third with 300 votes. He had served four terms on the school committee before he was elected to the council three years ago.
After Reynolds, incumbent Deborah Langille, who was seeking a second term, received 225 votes; Kim Shaffer received 223; Tanya Fox received 186; Samatha Lang received 106; and Rachel Deabay garnered 84 votes.
School Committee Vice Chair Scott Hatch did not seek reelection.
Four people ran for three seats on the town council for seats currently held by John Snyer III, 52; Charles Lever IV, 34; and Reynolds. Snyer was the only one of the three running for re-election.
Newcomer Derek Wood, 46, got 708 votes, while 70-year-old Richard Cyr received 605. Snyer was elected to another term with 595 votes.
Eric Russell, 31, received 466 votes.
The current council and the school committee have been at odds over the proposed $17.6 million school budget that would increase property taxes by an estimated $150 per year on a home valued at $300,000.
Hermon voters will decide Thursday at the annual town meeting whether they will support the school budget as proposed by the school committee, or the budget endorsed by the council in a 4-2 vote that cut the budget by $100,000.
