FALMOUTH — Sean Mahoney and Karen Farber won the four-way race Tuesday for two seats on the Town Council.

Voters also chose two School Board representatives in an uncontested election, and approved the fiscal 2013 school budget.

Mahoney and Farber will take seats vacated by Councilors Will Armitage and Fred Chase. Mahoney received the most votes, 1,492, followed by Farber with 1,416. Russ Anderson, with 1,331, and Bryan Dench, with 976, finished third and fourth, respectively.

Mahoney and Farber each built their campaigns around their experience in the town and both said it was that experience that gave voters the confidence to vote for them.

“I think I benefited from knowing lots of people through prior community volunteer work, coaching and as the president of the (Falmouth) Land Trust,” Mahoney said.

Farber said the entire experience was excellent.

“It was really a pleasure to get to know Bryan and Russ and Sean,” she said. “I think my experience on the School Board certainly was a factor in (the election).”

Farber and Mahoney agreed that the biggest hurdles the new council will face are the redevelopment of the Plummer-Motz property and the development of the Route 1 and Route 100 areas.

Dench said Mahoney and Farber will make effective town councilors.

“I feel good about the winners,” Dench said. “They did a great job in their campaigns. They did a great job getting voters who supported them to the polls and that’s what wins elections. I would like to thank everybody who supported and voted for me.”

Anderson agreed that the pair will make good councilors, but expressed some concern about the direction of the council on future spending.

“I enjoyed the race and I think Sean Mahoney and Karen Farber will be fine councilors,” he said. “I think the town will go in a different direction now with respect to spending and taxes, but they are good people and they will do a great job.”

Neither Anderson nor Dench said they have any plans at this point to seek future elected office.

In the uncontested School Board election, newcomer Dee Conroy-Vella outpolled incumbent Andrew Kinley, 1,885 to 1,851.

Voters also overwhelmingly approved the $29.3 million school budget by a vote of 2,041 to 658.

According to Town Clerk Ellen Planer, 34 percent of Falmouth’s 8,417 registered voters turned out for the election.

Amber Cronin can be reached at acronin@theforecaster.net or 781-3661 ext. 125. Follow her on Twitter: @croninamber.

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