WINSLOW -- An eight-vote margin was enough to lift a newcomer candidate over an incumbent in Tuesday's District 4 race for the Town Council, according to election results released Wednesday.

Raymond Caron garnered 405 votes to Brad Grant's 397 in the race for a three-year term.

Caron, 53, who works as a technical specialist at Sappi Fine Paper in Skowhegan and serves on Winslow's Board of Parks and Recreation, said he received a message of congratulations from Grant Wednesday morning.

"It was a close vote; it's not what I would call a wide spread," Caron said. "Given how close it is, it shows that you obviously had two candidates who were thought of very highly in the community, and the voters were torn between two good guys."

For Caron, the fact that it was a competitive and a close vote is a reminder that he must work hard to prove himself as a town councilor.

"It motivates you to do well in the position, to make a difference, to get the whole district involved," he said.

Caron thinks of himself as a "do-er" and wants to bring his experience to the council. He's been on the recreation board for 20 years and served as a Winslow firefighter and rescuer, and vice president of the Winslow Historical Society; he also coaches girls' soccer at Winslow Junior High School.

Looking forward to his start as a town councilor, Caron said he's especially interested in the debate over what the town should do with newly acquired land along the Sebasticook River.

A Riverland Advisory Committee has been meeting to make suggestions and is meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in the council chambers.

"We need to balance recreational needs versus privacy of landowners. It's critical to find a mid-line," he said, but added that he would "like to see trails -- there's no question about that. The Clinton side of the river is more conducive because it's flatter."

Paul Manson was also reelected, with 582 votes, to a ninth term without any opposition for the District 2 seat on the Town Council. Manson, 61, works in the communications office for the Maine Department of Transportation.

In other uncontested races, Betty Perry and Judy Ellis were reelected library trustees with 2,518 and 2,800 votes, respectively.

Charter changes

Winslow election officials on Wednesday were still counting ballots for the 29 separate proposed amendments to the town's charter.

Winslow's town charter was adopted in 1970 and hadn't had a substantial update in many years, town officials said, and that's the reason for the updates.

Town Clerk Pam Smiley said Wednesday it would likely take "a couple days" to count the 3,500 or so ballots by hand. Early indications are that some residents chose not to vote on all 29 amendments, Smiley said.

Winslow voter Kathy White said she thinks many people were frustrated by the long list of amendments on the ballot.

"It was long; it seemed silly for changing, in some cases, just a word or two here," White said. "I checked yes on all of them but one, the term limits."