Town meeting day results and surprising upsets - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Town meeting day results and surprising upsets

The race between incumbent Mayor, Christopher Louras, and current board of aldermen chair, Dave Allaire, was about differing plans for public safety. Louras won by a margin of about 400 votes; 2032 to 1611.

"I guess I would qualify it as a good victory and a tea validation that the voter Sof the city of Rutland feel the city is moving in the right direction," said Louras. Allaire will remain head of the board of aldermen. And the only other contested mayoral race was in Vergennes where current board of alderman member, William Benton, beat out former mayor, April Jin, 459 to 122.

And in South Burlington, voters ousted two incumbent city councilors, Sandy Dooley and Paul Engels, by wide margins. The two newcomers, Chris Shaw and Pat Nowak, ran together as a team and criticized their predecessors for enforcing a development freeze. Current City Council Chair Rosanne Greco, who also supports the freeze, says she is disappointed with the results.

"To me it seems that the voters are in favor of paving over the rest of paradise in South Burlington and extending the strip malls that we've had," said Greco. Greco says she is now in the minority opinion on the five person board and doubts the members will vote her to be chair this time around.