New council members eager to start

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DEXTER — Voters in Dexter sent a strong message to the town council at last week’s municipal election as three new members were elected and two incumbents defeated, including Chairman Peter Haskell, the longest-serving member.

    Sharon Grant led the six-way race with 373 votes, followed by Mark Robichaud with 344 and Ronald Apel with 306. None of the three had ever run for public office before.
    Incumbent Alan Wintle received 275 votes, David Palmer finished with 256 and Haskell garnered 211.
    Three seats were up for grabs since incumbent Andre Robichaud, no relation to Mark, declined to seek re-election.
    Grant has worked as a bookkeeper for Tillson’s True Value for 36 years, and said she was pleasantly surprised to be the top vote-getter. “I really didn’t have much time to campaign, but a lot of people knew I was running,” Grant said. “I’ve been getting a lot of calls congratulating me, and I also called Mark (Robichaud) and Ron (Apel) and congratulated them as well.”
    Grant said before the election that economic development was a high priority for Dexter. “Hopefully, we can improve the appearance of the town and convince some people and new businesses to move here,” she said.
    Apel admitted that he was “a little bit shocked that I made it. But I guess I did a few things right during the campaign.”
    The retired systems engineer for IBM Corporation said during his campaign that he had extensive experience in problem solving and “people skills.”
    “I just want to thank the people who voted for me and showed their confidence that I can do the job,” Apel said. “I hope we can get the council to all work together and move things forward. I’m anxious to get started.”
    Robichaud, a self-employed artist who likes to restore antique cars, said he was also “kind of surprised at the victory, but I’m looking forward to serving our community and our citizens. I’ve come to a time in my life where I’m semi-retired, so I have the time to devote to the town. I’ve lived here on and off since I was 3 years old, and I feel it’s time to give something back to the community.”
    All three newcomers plan to attend the Nov. 14 town council meeting, although they don’t take office until after Jan. 1.
    Dexter residents also voted in favor of forming a charter commission by a wide margin, 361-218. The current town council and former Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs both supported the referendum.