Wilmington town supervisor candidates Sam Haselton, left, and Tim Follos listen as same-day vote totals are read shortly after poll closing at the Wilmington Town Offices on Tuesday evening. Seen at right is town Councilwoman Laura Dreissigacker Hooker, who supported and campaigned for Follos, recording the tallies as they were read aloud. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

WILMINGTON — In one of the most closely watched and high-turnout races in the region, current town Councilmember Tim Follos is the projected winner for Wilmington town supervisor, according to unofficial election night results, defeating write-in candidate Sam Haselton and incumbent Supervisor Favor Smith, who was not actively running.

Smith ended his campaign in August and endorsed Haselton, though it was too late for Smith’s name to be removed from the ballot.

Follos has received 340 votes, or about 52.7%. There were 285 write-in votes, with an undetermined amount for Haselton, or 44.2%. There were 20 votes for Smith, or 3.1%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures are from unofficial election night returns and include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

It was a suspenseful ending to a campaign that helped to drive Wilmington’s overall voter turnout to near presidential election levels. There was a flurry of activity Tuesday evening as several candidates and supporters filed into the Wilmington town offices — which served as the Election Day site — just before polls closed at 9 p.m.

The candidates weren’t there to vote. That had already been done. They had come for the results. It was expected to be a close race. In 2023, the previous town supervisor’s race, Smith had edged Follos by 21 votes, 324 to 303.

Quiet chatter and side conversations soon drew to a close as poll workers printed the ballot machine’s results sheet. The audience settled in; Haselton leaned back on a set of stacked chairs, and Follos sat nearby. Beside Follos, ready to jot down the numbers on a legal pad as they were read aloud, was town Council Member Laura Dreissigacker Hooker, a political ally of his on the board, campaign strategist and surrogate, and friend.

For a brief moment, you could hear a pin drop. Then came the results.

It was announced that Follos led the same-day count, with 259 votes to 232 write-in votes to 15 votes for Smith. Though it’s presumed nearly all of those write-ins were for Haselton, Essex County Board of Elections officials did not determine who those write-ins were for on election night. That process is expected to happen later within the canvassing timeframe.

After the same-day votes were read, uncertainty remained. The tallies were unofficial and poll workers in the room did not know the early or absentee vote counts, though it was suspected that there were enough votes outstanding to potentially swing the margins in both the supervisor’s race, and the town council race — which had an even thinner margin.

Leaving the town offices Tuesday evening, Follos said he was cautiously optimistic. When the Essex County Board of Elections uploaded the early voting and returned absentee ballot figures to its website an hour or so later, Follos was proven right. His early and absentee vote performance padded his margin, ultimately putting it out of reach, given the votes that had yet to be counted.

Essex County Deputy Democratic Commissioner Jennifer Fifield said there were 16 outstanding absentee ballots for the town of Wilmington after polls closed. Absentee ballots can be received by boards of elections through the mail up to Nov. 12, provided that the ballot was postmarked no later than Nov. 4.

Given the at least 65-vote margin in the supervisor’s race, the outstanding absentees are not enough to close the gap.

Follos ran on the independent “Peoples” party line and Smith’s name appeared on the Republican and independent “Honesty” party lines. After Smith dropped out, the Essex County Republican Party endorsed Haselton as a write-in.

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Town council race

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Follos’ and Council Member Tina Terry-Preston’s seats were up, with four candidates running for the two spots: Hanna Cromie, Mindy Goddeau, Preston and Randy Winch, in addition to Karl von Entress’ name on the ballot, though he was no longer actively running, having ended his candidacy after it was too late to remove his name on the ballot. Preston ran as a write-in candidate, deciding to seek reelection after the deadline had passed for candidates to get their names on the ballot.

According to unofficial election night results, Winch leads with 317 votes, or about 28.1%. Cromie is in second place with 287 votes, or about 25.4%. Goddeau is in third place with 274 votes, or about 24.3% of the vote. There were 250 write-in votes, with an undetermined amount for Preston, or about 22.2%. Von Entress received 48 votes, or about 4.3%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Since there were two open seats, voters could make up to two selections in the town council race.

Though it’s presumed nearly all of those write-ins were for Preston, Essex County Board of Elections officials did not determine who those write-ins were for on election night, similar to the supervisor’s race. Given the 13-vote margin between Cromie and Goddeau, the 16 outstanding absentee ballots could hypothetically change the outcome, though flipping the margin would require almost all of the ballots be received and to support Goddeau.

Winch and Cromie both ran on the independent “Peoples” party line along with Follos. The three ran as a ticket and each encouraged voters to support each other.

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Looking ahead

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Speaking to the Enterprise late Tuesday night, Follos said he couldn’t have been prouder of his running mates.

“It validates our work, and our supporters’ work,” he said. “It validates what we’ve been saying.”

Follos was especially proud of Winch for sticking with it and deciding to run for council again after narrowly losing in 2023. He was deeply appreciative of Hooker’s campaign work, along with everyone who helped the campaign and voted for him.

“The people who volunteered — we put so much work into it,” he said. “It wasn’t only Laura, Randy, Hanna and I. There were dozens of people who put in work, and we are grateful to them. We are grateful to the people who voted for us. And to the people who didn’t, I think we can earn your confidence, earn your support, earn your trust — and we will try.”

Follos said he’ll hit the ground running and make the most of this abbreviated term, which will be up for election again in the 2026 general election. It’s normally a two-year term, but a new state law shifted most odd-numbered year elections to even years starting next year. The Wilmington town supervisor will then return to its regular two-year term length, coming up for election in even-numbered years.

“It will be a busy three months,” Follos said. “I believe Randy, Hanna and I are on the same page on the zoning amendments that Laura and I have been voting for for the past year.”

Though he said his perspective as a business owner and his skills as a lawyer are both assets when it comes to leading the town government, Follos felt the most important experience he brings to the position is the familiarity that comes from attending almost every town board meeting the past five years, and many before that. He recalled back to his teenage years, remembering well the 2000 fight over whether or not the town should change its name from “Wilmington” to “Whiteface,” which ultimately did not come to pass.

Given the divisiveness around the election, Follos said he is going to try to unify the town in a positive way, adding that there are several possible upcoming public works projects, such as a new dog park or pavilion, that he wants the prioritization of these to be chosen through popular consensus.

“We have a lot to do, we have a lot of plans,” he said. “We’re going to try to find out what the town thinks and respond to that in a representative way, in a democratic way.”

Once he becomes supervisor, Follos plans on holding a vote to dedicate and name the picnic area by the town beach after longtime Wilmington parks and water superintendent Greg Winch, and a pavilion there, or another nearby public structure, after Shirley Lawrence, a longtime town accountant. Both died earlier this year, and both had been with the town for about 30 years.

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Elsewhere on the ballot

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There was a three-way race for town highway superintendent, with incumbent Louis Adragna winning reelection. He fended off challenges from Cameron Grady and Darren Lawrence.

According to unofficial election night results, Adragna received 301 votes, or 49.7%. Grady finished in second with 261, or 43.1% of votes. Lawrence placed third with 44 votes, or 7.3%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Adragna ran on the Republican and independent “Commitment” party lines, Grady ran on the independent “Progress” party line and Lawrence ran on the independent “Better Roads” line. Given the current 40-vote margin between Adragna and Grady, the outstanding absentees are not enough to close the gap.

In the other local races, incumbent Town Clerk/Tax Collector Dawn Stevens ran for reelection unopposed, running on the Republican and independent “Heart” party lines. She received 453 votes to 11 write-ins, a 442-vote gap that far exceeds the number of outstanding votes.

There were no named candidates for both races for assessor — one to fill the unexpired current term and the other for the next elected term. There were 13 write-ins for the unexpired term and 82 write-ins for the next elected term, though, like the other write-in votes, the actual names that voters wrote on the ballot were not available as of election night.

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Certification process

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A recanvassing of the general election results is set for Nov. 17 statewide. This is when boards of elections meet to review the results, tabulate any outstanding absentee votes and decide on affidavit ballots — those cast by people whose voter eligibility is uncertain, then held separately for elections officials to ascertain.

Affidavit ballots, also referred to as provisional ballots, are sealed in a separate envelope apart from the voter’s information, and are only opened to tabulate the ballot selections if — and after — election officials have determined that the voter is indeed eligible. If the voter is deemed ineligible, their ballot remains sealed and is discarded.

Representatives for both major parties are present during the recanvassing process, ensuring its integrity.