[Update, 7:55 p.m.] Fresh Race for Board of Education, Two New Finance Board Candidates

Update, 7:55 p.m.

As of 6 p.m., 1,334 people from District 1 (22 percent) and 820 from District 3 (22 percent) voted at Avon High School and 407 people from District 2 (18 percent) voted at Town Hall.

The polls close in five minutes. The votes will first be counted by machine at Avon High School, as well as absentee ballots, and those results will be sent to Town Hall for the final count.

Update, 3:17 p.m.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, 492 people (8.1 percent) from District 1 and 281 (6 percent) from District 3 voted at Avon High School and 133 (13.2 percent) voted at Town Hall.

"It's definitely picking up now," Democratic Registrar Ann Clark said at noon. "I'm told a lot of people are away, but there are a lot of people who came here who do not have power."

Assistant Registrar Constance Norton doesn't have power herself in Farmington Woods after losing it Oct. 29. She has heard of some residents who are not voting because of difficulty getting out of their roads, but overall it is more likely quieter because it is not a presidential election year.

She said that working the polls is almost a relief when she doesn't have power at home.

"I don't have to go to the mall or Barnes and Noble..." she said.

Avon resident Ron Tedeshi got power back Friday and voted at Town Hall Tuesday.

"I hope we can have some people take care of keeping our taxes low," he said.

Martha Fine said that even if she didn't have power, she was determined to come and vote.

"I'm looking for very conservative fiscal management," she said.

Luckily, her power near Talcott Notch Road was restored Friday. Her neighbor, an elderly woman, still did not have power because there was damage to the electrical meter so CL&P said they would come back when an electrician repaired it. Unfortunately, she has had a tough time finding an electrician to come.

"I'm trying to take care of her," she said.

Original Story

Even with 25 percent of Avon households remain without power Tuesday, according to Connecticut Light & Power, including the usual District 3 voting location, Roaring Brook School, Election Day has been going since 6 a.m. and will continue until 8 p.m.

District 3 voters are instead voting at Avon High School, along with District 1, while District 2 votes at Town Hall.

The race for Town Council hails many incumbents, in fact, all sitting council members, including Town Council Chairman Mark Zacchio (R), David Peña (D), Pamela Samul (R), William J. Shea II (D) and Douglas Evans (R). Christopher A. May (R) is the only new candidate and the are not running any fresh faces.

Five-member boards like the Town Council can have up to four seated from one party, and currently there are three Republicans and two Democrats. Constituents can vote for five candidates, meaning that if May could unseat one of the incumbents. If a Democrat has the lowest votes and he is elected, the ratio will change to four Republicans and one Democrat on the council, however if he ousts a Republican, that party proportion will remain 3-2, Republicans and Democrats, respectively.

However, it is a completely different story for the Board of Education. Four of the incumbents who had the option to run for re-election chose not to seek it, including Vice Chairman Michael Eagen (R), Barbara Zuras (D), Ken Notestine (R) and Stacy Biernat (R). That leaves Houston Putnam Lowry (D) as the only school board incumbent running.

With all the new candidates running, that makes the Board of Education the race with potential for the most change. Including Putnam Lowry, each party is running three candidates. Wendy J. Howard (D) and Michael R. House with run alongside him on the Democratic slate, facing all new candidates on the side, including Ames B. Shea (R), Brian P. Glenn (R) and Jeff Bernetich (R). Residents can vote for five candidates and there are six.

Nine-member boards like the Board of Education can have up to six people from one party.

There are also two new candidates stepping up for a Board of Finance run, including Brian M. Stoll (D) and Dean C. Hamilton (R). They are up against Board of Finance Chairman Thomas Harrison (R) and incumbent Brett F. Eisenlohr (D). People can vote for three candidates. Either Stoll or Hamilton will likely be joining the board, given that only two incumbents are running and finance board member William Hooper (R) opted out of a re-election bid. If both are in the top three vote counts, either Eisenlohr or Harrison could be unseated.

Seven-member boards, like the Board of Finance, Harrison said, can have a maximum of five people from one party, as mandated by state law. Currently the Republicans have the maxium majority at five. The Republicans could hold that five-person majority again if both Harrison and Hamilton are elected, since Hooper is not on the ballot. That would leave the third seat for either Eisenlohr or Hamilton, meaning the Democrats would have two on the board, including board member Thomas Gugliotti, whose term has not expired. If both Democrats are chosen and one Republican, that would change the tilt slightly to four Republicans and three Democrats.

The Republicans are running uncontested for Board of Assessment Appeals (Laura A. Mensi, Heather Maguire and Stephen E. Hunt) and Zoning Board of Appeals (Gina Aube, Brian J. Ladouceur Jr., who is also the Republican Town Committee chairman, and Terry Ryan). People can vote for three candidates for both the boards.

Editor's Note: Check back with Avon Patch for updates throughout the day.