Hancock County primary results

With 88 percent of polling precincts reporting their primary election results, It looks like Scott Kane may become the next sheriff of Hancock County. J

ust before midnight, Kane led fellow Republican Alan Brown (and fellow current officer in the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department) by 176 votes, enough to give him an edge of more than a 4-percent.

Whoever wins the GOP primary is expected to run uncontested in the general election this fall, so the Republican primary is the de facto race that will determine who the next sheriff will be. With Tuesday’s win, Kane will replace outgoing sheriff Bill Clark, who decided not to seek re-election after holding the office for more than 30 years.

DA Race: In the two contested primaries in the District Attorney’s race, one current prosecutor will advance to the general election this fall and another will not.

Assistant DA Bill Entwisle, a Democrat, beat Steve Juskewitch on Tuesday by winning 58 percent of the vote. Juskewitch ran unsuccessfully for the seat in the prior three elections (’02, ’06 & ’10), first as a Republican and then as an independent. On the Republican side, Matt Foster defeated Assistant DA Paul Cavanaugh on Tuesday by a slightly higher margin, 58 percent to 42 percent.

Foster also won the GOP nomination for DA in 2010 but lost to now-outgoing DA Carletta “Dee” Bassano that fall. In that election, Bassano edged out Foster by less than a 2 percent margin (and less than 700 votes) in a 3-way race that included Juskewitch running as an independent. In 2010, Bassano got roughly 38 percent, Foster roughly 36 percent, and Juskewitch 25.

Bassano was first elected to the position in 2010 after having served as a longtime deputy prosecutor under former DA Michael Povich, who retired four years ago. Bassano decided not to run for re-election this time around.

Probate Judge: In the GOP race to run for Judge of Probate in November, Will Blaisdell IV and Ferdinand “Andy” Slater each set out to replace James Patterson, who has decided not to run again. Blaisdell easily won the GOP nomination on Tuesday, getting 73 percent of the vote over Slater’s 27 percent. Blaisdell will face Democrat Valerie Chiasson of Brooklin in the general election in November.

House District 133: In the Democratic primary for a House seat on the Blue Hill peninsula, incumbent Ralph Chapman faced a challenge from David Guarente. Chapman, a Brooksville resident, handily defeated Guarente, who lives in Blue Hill, winning 80 percent of the vote (with 750 votes cast). Chapman now will have Republican Susan M. Walsh of Blue Hill in the general election in November. District 133 includes the towns of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Sedgwick and Surry.

Bar Harbor: In a six-way race for three available seats on the Town Council, voters decided to elect the three candidates who don’t have prior council experience.

Burt Barker received 551 votes, Anne Greenlee 517 votes, and Clark Stivers 454 votes. They edged out incumbent councilor Christopher Walsh and former councilors Joseph “Tom” Burton and Jefferson Dobbs. Walsh received 378 votes, Dobbs 388 and Burton 262.

Lamoine: Voters decided to further restrict where in town gravel pits can operate. The proposal to disallow new mineral exploration activities and sand and gravel extraction in Lamoine’s rural and agricultural zone was approved by a  450-268 margin.

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.