SOUTH PORTLAND — Voters elected newcomers to the City Council and the School Board in the only contested races Nov. 7.

A newcomer also won an uncontested City Council race, and a write-in candidate was elected to the School Board.

Kate Lewis was elected to the council District 2 seat, defeating Christopher Breen, 4,830 to 1,380. She will replace Mayor Patti Smith, who was not eligible to seek re-election because of term limits.

Heather Johnson won one of the two at-large School Board seats. Incumbent Mary House was re-elected with 3,648 votes, Johnson had 3,234 votes, and Stanley Beretsky received 1,751.

Write-in candidate Nicole Petit won the District 2 School Board seat with 144 votes. She replaces Otis Thompson, who resigned Aug. 28. 

In other City Council races, Adrian Dowling, who received 5,137 votes, will replace Councilor Brad Fox in District 5. Fox did not seek re-election and Dowling ran unopposed. 

District 1 Councilor Claude Morgan, who was not challenged for re-election, won a second consecutive term with 5,255 votes. 

Also elected to the School Board in uncontested races were incumbents Matthew Perkins in District 4 and Elyse Tipton, District 5. Both were previously appointed by the City Council. Perkins received 5,043 votes and Tipton, 5,093.

Lewis is the director of development at Greater Portland Landmarks, the outgoing president of the South Portland Land Trust, and serves on the ad hoc Open Space Strategic Planning Committee.

“I am entirely committed to the people of South Portland and I hope and expect for people to be in touch with me on all of their issues, concerns, or things that they care about, because I want to act in everyone’s best interest and I need to rely on their input to do that,” Lewis said in an interview Wednesday morning.

“I’m entirely committed to being a liaison between the busy people in South Portland and what is happening at the city government level and to increase very strong communications with people on all the issues that are affecting them.”

For starters, she said she hopes to champion a comprehensive open space plan and to tackle sustainable waterfront development.

Johnson is married, with two children in elementary school and one in middle school. She has owned her own marketing consulting business, Core Strategies, for about a year.

“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with other board members, teachers,  administrators, parents and community members to make the schools great for our children,” Johnson said Wednesday morning.

According to City Clerk Emily Scully, the newly elected officials will be sworn in Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 25 Cottage Road.

Melanie Sochan can be reached at 781-3661 ext.106 or msochan@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter @melaniesochan.

Felix Raymond, 11 months, peeks out from a voting booth at the South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, while his mother Kate Raymond votes on Nov. 7.

South Portland School Board at-large candidates Mary House, left, and Heather Johnson greet voters at the South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, on Nov. 7.

Matthew Perkins, who was retained his District 4 School Board seat, votes Tuesday evening, Nov. 7, at the South Portland Community Center.

Voters line up at the South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, on Tuesday evening. Robert Wilson feeds his ballot into a voting machine at the Redbank Community Center, 95 MacArthur Circle on Tuesday morning. LewisMorganDowling

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