An incumbent selectman in Orrington narrowly won re-election in voting Monday.
Christopher Robison defeated challenger Allan Elkin by a vote of 349 to 332. Robison, 38, was last elected in 2016.
Robison supported an original proposal to build a $3.5 million public safety building that Elkin, 63, opposed, arguing that it could be built for less.
Disagreement over the proposal for a new public safety building, which would house police and fire operations in one location, has dominated town politics for much of the past year.
In December, 489 residents — about 200 fewer than voted in Monday’s election — rejected the $3.5 million plan by a vote of 255 to 234. Since that vote, an advisory committee has been working on a lower-cost design for the building.
Elkin walked up to Robison and extended his hand as soon as the election results were announced following the annual town meeting Monday night. After the candidates shook, Elkin shook the hands of every other selectman.
Residents applauded the gesture.
Elkin still serves on the committee tasked with presenting a less expensive public safety building proposal to the town. The most recent estimate is $2.64 million, but committee members continue working to get the cost closer to $2 million. Residents are to vote on a revised proposal July 15.
Nine people on Monday voted for Dale Quimby, 62, even though she announced on Memorial Day that she was withdrawing from the race. Her name could not be removed from the ballots as they already had been printed. Quimby did not publicly throw her support behind either of her opponents.
Robison and two other selectmen could now be subject to a recall effort over the recent firing of the town manager.
Selectmen voted 3 to 2 last month to fire Joan Gibson of Levant, who was two months into a six-month contract. She was the third person to leave the town manager position in less than a year.
Robison voted with Chairman Allan Snell and Selectman Charles Green to fire Gibson. Selectmen Keith Bowden and Michael Curtis voted to keep her on the job. A week later, on May 28, an effort to recall Robison, Snell and Green over Gibson’s firing was announced at the selectmen’s meeting.
In balloting for school board Monday, voters chose two newcomers — Andrew Hillman and Heather Harriamn — over incumbent Michelle Schlek. Hillman and Harriman received 381 votes each to Schleck’s 303.