Voters approve RSU 14 budget, Jewell wins Raymond Select Board seat
By Ed Pierce
Voters made their selections during Tuesday's Primary Day in Windham and Raymond with candidates chosen for the 2026 general election on Nov. 3.
Cianchette will be running against incumbent Democrat Tim Nangle of Windham in November. Two years ago, Nangle defeated Cianchette to win re-election as District 26 State Senator after originally winning the seat in 2022.
Cianchette says that he will work to continue the mission that the late Bill Diamond of Windham started in the Maine Legislature to restructure the Office of Child and Family Services. He has pledged to work with, or hold accountable, the next Maine governor on this vital issue, regardless of party affiliation, should he be elected in November.
The RSU 14 schools budget also was approved by voters. In Windham, 2,786 voters were in favor of approving the budget, with 1,744 voters in opposition. In Raymond, 987 voters were in favor of approving the schools' budget with 621 opposed.
RSU 14 school district board members proposed a total budget for 2026-2027 of $79,199,077, up from last year’s total budget calculation of $67,861,394, an increase of 6.97 percent.
“Some 4.36 cent of the budget increase was the result of increases to negotiated salaries/benefits and increases to operational costs across the district,” said RSU 14 Schools Superintendent Chris Howell. “The remaining 2.6 percent is tied to the first local debt payment for the new middle school that was approved by the voters in November 2023. Our local contribution for the debt is $1.7 million. We are fortunate that the State of Maine will be contributing $10.4 million in debt service to the project in 2027.”
Raymond Town Clerk Melanie Fernald said that because of unexpectedly high turnout, the volume of voters exhausted the town's supply of pre-printed local ballots during Tuesday’s primary.
Fernald said that as a result, about 200 local ballots were printed on demand which the tabulating machines could not scan and processed and were hand-counted delaying final tabulation.
Once counted by late Wednesday afternoon, all 27 Town of Raymond warrant articles funding departments were approved by voters.
Among Raymond Select Board positions, one race was contested and was between former Select Board Chair Denis Morse and former Raymond RSU 14 Board of Directors member Char Jewell.
The position is for one year and became vacant when Raymond voters voted to remove Morse during a recall election in December. Morse had been elected for three years in June 2024 to the Select Board says he wants to finish his term and ensure that no one in Raymond is taxed out of their homes.
Voters elected Jewell to the Select Board with 790 votes, while Morse received 647 votes.
Jewell says she ran for the Select Board to restore confidence in town government, citing unnecessary distractions and financial strain have taken focus away in Raymond from effective governance.
Because they were unopposed on Tuesday, Raymond Select Board candidates Derek Ray and Fred Miller were elected for three-year terms. Ray is an incumbent who sought re-election, and Miller fills an open seat following the resignation of Samuel Gifford in April.
Incumbent Diana Froisland was re-elected to a three-year term on the Raymond Budget-Finance Committee.
Keith Dyer was elected to a one-year term on the Raymond Budget-Finance Committee.
Jodi Carroll, an incumbent, was re-elected to a three-year term representing Raymond on the RSU 14 Board of Directors.<
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