Lebanon
Residents of several northern Upper Valley communities also voted out an incumbent legislator in a close race to represent the Orford area in the New Hampshire House.
In the Grafton 3 House District, Warren resident Ben Hight, a former Army veteran and retired truck driver, won 211 votes to defeat state Rep. Vicki Schwaegler, R-Orford, who received 197 votes.
The district includes the towns of Orford, Piermont, Bath, Benton, Easton, Landaff and Warren.
Schwaegler on Wednesday attributed the loss to her support of the biomass industry, and specifically efforts to override Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto of a bill that would have mandated the state purchase energy from biomass plants. Schwaegler and advocates argue the payments will keep New Hampshire plant and forest businesses financially sound, while opponents say the mandate amounts to a costly subsidy.
Schwaegler’s stance on the issue, as well as her opposition to the Northern Pass electricity transmission project, were among votes that put her at odds with fellow Republicans and the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. It’s the F rating she received from the group that partially led to a challenge from Hight.
“I think it was the energy issues that affect me the most,” Schwaegler said, adding she intends to vote in favor of overriding Sununu’s veto today in the House.
In a race to succeed outgoing Grafton County Attorney Lara Saffo, Democrats chose a longtime public defender from Littleton.
Marcie Hornick won 5,935 votes to defeat Natch Greyes, a district court prosecutor from Sugar Hill who received 1,872 votes countywide.
“I’m thrilled. I’m absolutely thrilled,” Hornick said on Wednesday.” I just want to help make this as great a place as it can possibly be to live in.”
Hornick, 58, attributed the win to her 15 years of experience as a public defender. Greyes, 29, became a prosecutor for the towns of Littleton, Franconia and Sugar Hill in mid-2014.
“It’s not just more experience in the criminal justice system but experience in the Superior Courts, I think, that made a difference to most voters,” she said.
Hornick is not facing a Republican challenger in the general election, and likely will be elected to the post in November.
Bradford, Vt., Police Chief Jeff Stiegler said his experience in law enforcement likely contributed to a Democratic primary victory for Grafton County sheriff.
Stiegler, a 51-year-old North Haverhill resident, garnered 3,618 votes to defeat Hebron, N.H., Police Chief Travis Austin, 37, who received 3,249 votes.
Stiegler won majorities in Hanover (641 votes), Lebanon’s Ward 2 (216 votes) and Lyme (172 votes). Meanwhile, Austin took Plymouth with 319 votes and Lebanon’s wards 1 and 3 for a combined 374 votes.
Stiegler said several campaign issues likely swayed voters, such as his intention to serve only a few two-year terms, as well as his 33-year career in police work. He did encourage Austin to consider running for the post in future elections.
“I hope that he keeps his eye on the sheriff’s job if he’s interested in it,” Stiegler said of his primary opponent.
Incumbent Sheriff Doug Dutile ran unopposed on the Republican ballot and will face Stiegler in the general election.
Dutile touted his own experience on Wednesday, saying that the job requires a different set of skills than those required to run a rural police department. The roughly 50-member Sheriff’s Office is responsible for operating a large dispatch center, transporting prisoners and overseeing out-of-state extraditions, he said.
“I don’t see any experience there from (Stiegler) to be able to do that,” said Dutile, who was hired as a deputy 27 years ago.
Incumbent Register of Deeds Kelley Jean Monahan, of Orford, also held off a Democratic primary challenge on Tuesday.
Monahan received 4.658 votes to defeat fellow Orford resident Liz Gesler, who won 2,578 votes on Tuesday. Monahan will face outgoing state Rep. Brad Bailey, R-Monroe, in the November election.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.