Voters approve school building referendums; elect Ray, West to School Board

By a margin of more than 2 to 1, Cape Elizabeth voters Tuesday (Nov. 4, 2003) overwhelmingly approved bond issues for building renovations and improvements to Cape Elizabeth High School; and to build a new wing for Pond Cove Elementary School for kindergarten students.

They also elected Katharine Ray and Richard West to the Cape Elizabeth School Board.

It was a long day and night for Town election officials and volunteers as they handled a steady of stream of voters throughout Election Day. Waits of up to one hour were reported for voters to submit each of the three ballots -- local, state and county -- into the vote-counting machine.

At days end 4,900 voters had passed through the polls at Cape Elizabeth High School, a turnout of 62 percent.

Cape Elizabeth voters also voted for a new Cumberland County charter, and overwhelmingly picked Town Councilor John McGinty, seconded by South Portland's Nancy Larsen, as their choices to sit on a new County Charter Committee.

On the state ballot, voters were equally vocal against initiatives asking for a Maine resort casino and for slot machines at race tracks. Voters in Cape Elizabeth were more evenly divided, however, on the citizen initiative for property tax relief. Roughly a third of those voting chose the citizen initiative to have the state fund 55 percent of local education costs; one third voted for a competing tax-relief measure proposed by the Legislature; and, one third voted for neither.

Here are the results of Cape's voting:

School Board (vote for two)

Votes

Michals, Mary H.

1344

Ray, Katharine N.

2527

West, Richard L.

2166

Winchell, Robert L.

939

Local Referendum Yes No
Improvements and Additions to Cape Elizabeth High School ($7.9 million) 3356 1425
Improvements and Additions to the Pond Cove Elementary School ($1.5 million) 3450 1292

Cumberland County Referendum Question Yes No
Shall a charter commission be established for the purpose of establishing a new county charter? 2275 1871
Charter Commissioners (vote for two) Votes
Babine, Shawn A. Scarborough
560
Bourke, David M. South Portland
692
Damicis, James D. Scarborough
180
Larsen, Nancy L. South Portland
1564
McGinty, John W. Cape Elizabeth
3233
Parks, Harold F. Gorham
159
Reynolds, Robert M. Gorham
240

STATE OF MAINE REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
Question 1: Citizen Initiative and Competing Measure Votes
1A Citizen Initiative

Do you want the State to pay 55% of the cost of public education, which includes all special education costs, for the purpose of shifting costs from the property tax to state resources?

1666
1B Competing Measure

Do you want to lower property taxes and avoid the need for a significant increase in state taxes by phasing in a 55% state contribution to the cost of public education and by providing expanded property tax relief?

1539
1C Against A and B

Against both the Citizen Initiative and the Competing Measure.

1539
Yes No
Question 2: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to allow slot machines at certain commercial horse racing tracks if part of the proceeds are used to lower prescription drug costs for the elderly and disabled, and for scholarships to the state universities and technical colleges?

1944 2912
Question 3: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to allow a casino to be run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation if part of the revenue is used for state education and municipal revenue sharing?

971 3899
Question 4: Bond Issue

Water Quality and Pollution Control ($6.9 million)

3354 1315
Question 5: Bond Issue

Universities and Libraries improvements ($19 million)

2906 1759
Question 6: Bond Issue

Transportation improvements ($63.45 million)

3400 1272
More: Elections Results History