By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—After a particularly crowded race, with six candidates vying for three available seats, Ralph Ethier, Jeff Haylon, and Cecil Reniche-Smith will join the Brandon Selectboard this month.
Mr. Ethier won a 3-year seat vacated by Tim Guiles, who did not run for re-election after two terms on the Board. Mr. Ethier had previously held a 1-year seat since 2022, when he was appointed to replace Mike Markowski, who had stepped down.
Mr. Ethier received 746 votes. His opponent, Isaiah Webb, received 89 votes. There were 9 write-in votes. The total number of ballots cast overall was 932 (not every ballot contained a vote for this seat)
“I’m feeling good,” said Ethier after the vote had been tabulated. “I want to continue the progress the Board has made over the last 8 months.”
Ms. Reniche-Smith and Mr. Haylon won 1-year seats, with Reniche-Smith receiving 600 votes and Haylon receiving 565. They will fill seats being vacated by Heather Nelson, who did not run for re-election, and by Mr. Ethier, who left his 1-year seat to pursue the 3-year seat he ultimately won.
The other candidates for these two seats, Vicki Disorda and Ray Marcoux, received 323 votes and 188 votes, respectively. There were 4 write-in votes.
Ms. Reniche-Smith served a year on the Selectboard in the 2023-2024 session and did not run for re-election when that term was over. This was Mr. Haylon’s first campaign for Selectboard.
“I’m pleased and honored,” said Reniche-Smith. “I’m looking forward to working with the Board again and for the town. I want to keep things moving forward at a pace that’s good for everyone.”
“I’m extremely humbled and pleased to be the newbie on the Board,” said Haylon. “I want to thank all the voters who came out and all the other candidates for keeping things respectful and positive.”
Other election results: Bill Moore was elected Town Moderator, Courtney Satz was elected to a 3-year term as a Trustee of Public Funds, and Mat Clouser was elected to a 2-year term as Trustee of the Brandon Free Public Library.
