Lebanon
State Rep. Wendy Piper, who lectures on writing at Dartmouth College, garnered a combined 1,276 votes in Lebanon, Hanover and Enfield to defeat former Lebanon Mayor Ralph Akins, who won 757 votes, in the Democratic primary for the county commission seat, which represents the three communities in North Haverhill.
No Republican filed to run for the seat, meaning Piper likely will be alone on the November general election ballot.
“I’m a believer in compromise and working together to get things done for people, and I think that’s really important on the county level,” Piper said on Tuesday night.
“I have to say voters really responded to that,” she said. “I think voters really wanted sombody who wants to focus on problem solving and bringing together.”
Piper said her canvassing efforts also likely lead to her primary win. While her supporters helped spread the word, she was able to meet with many people face-to-face.
“I feel very good about it. I worked very hard and I’m very pleased with the results,” she said.
Looking forward, Piper said she hopes to help the county nursing home while it transitions to accepting Veterans Affairs referrals. She also said the county justice system will likely become a major focus as the opioid epidemic continues.
Akins said earlier on Tuesday that his campaign focused on maintaining the county’s current services. He said he will continue to work for the elections of Cryans, who is seeking higher office, and U.S. Senate candidate Maggie Hassan moving toward the general election.
“After the primary is over, I’m going to continue working hard, especially for those two, but all of the Democratic candidates,” he said.
County Commissioners Linda Lauer, of Bath, likely won the Democratic nomination for District 2, which encompasses northern Grafton County. The Navy veteran and aerospace researcher ran uncontested.
Republicans Randy Subjeck, of Piermont, and Stephen Whitney, of Bath, were in a Republican primary for the seat. Complete elections results were not immediately available Tuesday night.
In District 3, two Plymouth residents will compete in the general election for a seat currently held by Democrat Martha Richards. Republican Omer Ahern Jr., an attorney and former county commissioner, ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. And Bill Bolton, a retired state employee and Plymouth Selectboard member, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Cryans, a Hanover Democrat who is again running for Executive Council, decided to step down from the District 1 commission seat. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will likely face Republican Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, who had a wide lead over primary challenger Paul Carreiro, of Orford, on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, retired physical education teacher Roger Dontonville appears to have narrowly won the Democratic primary race to replace Piper in the New Hampshire House. He won 139 votes for the Enfield seat over Linda Spencer-Geen’s 128, and will go on to face off against Republican Mike Lorrey, self-described “liberty conservative,” in the general election.
“I had a lot of friends who helped support me, had a strong support network,” Dontonville said, adding that he will continue to be a strong proponent of education and families going into November.
Four Democrats ran unopposed for District 12, which represents Hanover and Lyme. State Reps. Patricia Higgins and Sharon Nordgren likely will be joined by Mary Jane Mulligan and Polly Kent Campion in the New Hampshire House after November.
In Lebanon, state Reps. Richard Abel, Susan Almy, George Sykes and Andrew White ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. A lone Republican, Michael Balog, will join them on the general election ballot.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.