Winslow voters on Tuesday reelected incumbent Jerry Quirion and elected newcomer Peter Drapeau for three-year terms on the Winslow Town Council. They will represent Districts 3 and 1, respectively.
Jerry Quirion Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel file
In a three-way race, Quirion, 74, received 279 votes, narrowly surpassing Bert Bilodeau’s 255 votes and Fran Hudson’s 244 votes to take District 3. Drapeau, 63, received 613 votes to top Esther Bullard’s 289 votes.
Quirion hopes to fix the railroad crossing near the Ticonic Bridge, which he said has not been renovated since 1971. Quirion served 38 years in the U.S. Naval Reserves and 21 months in Vietnam.
“One of the things is to get the infrastructure, and I’m talking about the whole town, repaired, especially the town roads and streets,” Quirion said Wednesday. “The citizens are welcome to give me a call 24/7.”
Meanwhile, Drapeau said Wednesday he hopes to “get the council in line with a business way of thinking.”
“Any community has one way of income, which is taxes. Either you raise the taxes or expand the tax base,” Drapeau said. “I’ve got to attempt to get everyone thinking about running (the town) as a business and attract people to the community.”
Quirion, a Vietnam War veteran, will serve his fourth straight term. A Democrat, Quirion is retired from his career as a bridge engineer for the Maine Department of Transportation. Quirion hopes to secure a bond for town infrastructure projects and work with the Department of Transportation to renovate the bridge that connects Waterville to Winslow.
Peter Drapeau Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo
In District 1, two-term councilor Patricia Ayer did not seek reelection. Drapeau, a Winslow resident since 1982, is a businessman. He currently owns Peter A. Drapeau Trucking and has experience in other realms of business.
Drapeau previously served on two police chief search committees as well as the recent town manager search committee that resulted in the hiring of new Town Manager Erica LaCroix.
In 2014, Drapeau took out papers and got signatures for a spot on the ballot but ultimately decided against running.
Unopposed Joseph Roch Gravel took District 5 as longtime councilor Steve Russell opted not to run.
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