SOUTH PORTLAND — Tom Coward retained his seat as Cumberland County commissioner in District 4, fighting off a challenge by Bill Holmes, director of the county Regional Communications Center for the last 16 years.

The district includes Cape Elizabeth, South Portland, Westbrook and the North Deering section of Portland.

As of Wednesday morning, Coward had 11,909 votes and Holmes had 7,903. Each candidate did well in his own community, with Coward capturing close to 72 percent of the vote in South Portland, while Holmes was aided by taking almost 58 percent of the vote in Westbrook.

Coward, an attorney and real estate agent, said he was seeking another term to continue to “give back to the community.”

“This is a good way for me to contribute and make Cumberland County a good place to live now and in the future,” the former South Portland city councilor and mayor said.

Coward said he would like to find a better way to pay for the Cumberland County Jail, and his top priority is to get the state to continue picking up its share of the jail’s operating costs.

He said he would focus on bringing a fiscally conservative approach to the county budget, continuing the work on regional and community partnerships, improving public safety, finding more opportunities for regional services, and having the county better support recreational opportunities for residents.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or mkelley@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mkelleynews.

Read this story in the American Journal.