HARPSWELL — Kevin Johnson decisively defeated incumbent Selectman Alison Hawkes and another candidate in the March 15 Board of Selectmen election.

Johnson received 362 votes, or 57 percent of the vote, according to official election results. Hawkes received 228 votes, or 36 percent, and C. Matthew Rich finished with 42 votes, or nearly 7 percent.

The nearly 16 percent voter at Town Meeting on Saturday was on par with last year. There are nearly 4,000 registered voters in town.

Johnson, 58, a self-employed homebuilder who lives on Great Island, previously said he was running because he wants selectmen to be more proactive when it comes to research and being better prepared for meetings.

“It doesn’t always seem like selectmen are up on what’s going on,” Johnson said in February, “or maybe they haven’t done some of the research before.”

Johnson, who has been listed as a plaintiff in a legal battle to win access to Cedar Beach, said he would remove himself from the lawsuit if elected.

Hawkes, 38, who runs a second-hand shop in Topsham, is finishing her first three-year term as a selectman. For Rich, 62, a retired lawyer, it was his fourth defeat in a selectman race.

Meanwhile, two School Administrative District 75 Board of Directors seats were filled by former board member David Johnson, the only candidate on the ballot, and Sarah Clemons, one of two write-in candidates.

Johnson, who isn’t related to Kevin Johnson, received 481 votes, or 71 percent, while Clemons received 154 votes, or nearly 23 percent. Dorothy Carrier, the other write-in candidate, received 40 votes, or nearly 6 percent.

Dylan Martin can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 100 or dmartin@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DylanLJMartin.

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