Published: May 20, 2009 12:03 am      

LEW-PORT: Swearingen, Fideli beat out Lilly, Stepien

The results in the race for the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education hadn’t been announced yet, but the celebration was well under way.

Minutes before the votes were made public, candidate April Fideli triumphantly walked out from behind the voting machines and excitedly yelled out “we did it” to fellow candidate Wendy Swearingen. A thunderous applause broke out and the two challengers were mobbed by a crowd of supporters as incumbents Ed Lilly and Scott Stepien quietly looked on in defeat.

The chaotic scene was the culmination of another controversial and hard-fought election in Lewiston-Porter, and officially put in end to Lilly’s 12-year reign on the school board.

“It’s just amazing that the good guys, well good girls, won,” said Fideli, tears streaming from her eyes. “We unseated someone who’s been in for 12 years, that’s a hard thing to do. We won’t let anybody down.”

According to the results announced by District Clerk Debbie Sherman, Swearingen was the top vote-getter with 1,718, closely followed by Fideli at 1,689, earning them the two, three-year terms on the board. Lilly placed third with 1,331 votes and Stepien came in last with 1,327 votes. Sherman pointed out there are still absentee ballots to open but not enough to change the outcome of the race. The results will be made official today.

“I’m thrilled and happy, not only for myself but for the taxpayers, residents and parents,” Swearingen said. “This will be a district we can all be proud of again.”

Lilly, who considers himself as a champion to district taxpayers, showed little emotion as the results were read.

“I’m disappointed in the many lies that were told about myself and Mr. Stepien,” he said. “It’s clear that they’re the teachers union candidates and they’re going to be using taxpayer money.”

As with past district elections, this year’s race appeared to split the community into two camps: Residents who supported Lilly and Stepien and their vows to control spending and taxes against those in support of the Lewiston-Porter United Teachers Union. Though union officials maintain they didn’t officially endorse Swearingen and Fideli, their support was apparent as teachers celebrated with the winners Tuesday night.

“We didn’t endorse but I hope the women win, I hope Lilly loses,” Union President Kevin Jaruszewski admitted before the results were announced. “They ran a clean campaign and deserve to win.”

Fideli and Swearingen, both parents of children in the district, have plenty of experience working together, having served on Residents for Responsible Government, a group that targets environmental issues, including opposing the Chemical Waste Management expansion.

Fideli believes the difference in the race was that she and Swearingen conducted an extensive grassroots campaign including going door-to-door and attending community events to meet voters. They denied running a negative campaign against Lilly and Stepien, claiming they were the ones targeted with bad publicity and untrue accusations.

“If hard work is what counted, we would win hands down,” Fideli said earlier in the evening.

Lilly, who has served on the school board for a dozen years except for a short period when he was illegally removed and then brought back, declined to elaborate on whether Tuesday’s election would be his last.

“I really don’t know right now,” he said.

Stepien, who also had been illegally removed from the board and brought back, was seeking his second, three-year term.

Along with electing Swearingen and Fideli, voters overwhelming passed the district’s $41.1 million budget 2,037 to 759. The plan represents a 1.6 percent increase over this year’s budget but carries an estimated tax levy decrease of $605,506, or 2.7 percent. Also approved was a “cost control referendum” sponsored by Lilly and Stepien that authorizes the school board to call a special district meeting and hold an advisory referendum vote whenever a contract between the district and an employee union or the superintendent results in an increase in cost greater than $100,000.

A late addition to the ballot to consolidate the number of board of education members from seven to five failed by a vote of 1,661 to 1,150.