NEWPORT, N.H. — Residents on Tuesday narrowly elected Keith Sayer to a three-year term on the Newport Selectboard during a Town Meeting vote that saw all other warrant articles pass overwhelmingly.
Sayer defeated challenger Bert Spaulding Sr., 195-186, in Australian ballot voting, according to preliminary results. He’ll succeed Todd Franzel on the five-member board.
Voters also decided, 347-68, to support efforts to clean up the former Hartford Woolen Mill, approving $500,000 to clean up the four-acre property along the Sugar River.
Officials have said they plan to designate the site for passive recreation, such as fishing. About $400,000 for the cleanup is expected to come from grants while the town’s share of $100,000 will be paid through surplus funds.
The Selectboard’s proposed $11 million budget for the 2021 fiscal year also passed, 313-105. The spending plan amounts to a roughly $800,000, or almost 8%, increase over last year’s budget.