Cunningham Jr. and Vaughn Secure Kingston Selectmen Seats; Hache Unseats Incumbent in Board of Health Race
KINGSTON - May 16, 2026 - Kingston voters turned out for the 2026 Annual Town Election, majorly reshaping the town’s leadership across multiple key municipal boards. Joseph Paul Cunningham Jr. and Sheila Marie Vaughn emerged victorious in a highly competitive four-way race for two open Selectmen seats , while challenger Lauren A. Hache successfully unseated incumbent Dennis N. Randall for a spot on the Board of Health.
The Full Story
In the race for the Selectmen board, Joseph Paul Cunningham Jr. led the field with a total of 498 votes, followed by Sheila Marie Vaughn with 416 votes to secure the two available three-year terms. Candidates Paul B. Dahlen and Timothy Patrick Ballinger fell short of election, receiving 330 and 281 votes respectively.
The most significant upset of the election occurred within the Board of Health race. Challenger Lauren A. Hache captured 556 votes to win a seat on the board alongside incumbent Heidi Marie Whipple, who led the tally with 577 votes. However, fellow incumbent Dennis N. Randall lost his bid for re-election, gathering only 255 votes across Kingston’s four precincts.
Incumbents in other primary roles safely maintained their seats. Town Clerk Paul M. Gallagher secured an overwhelming victory to continue his three-year term, capturing 726 votes against just 7 write-in votes. For Town Moderator, Michael E. Cowett won a three-year term by securing 637 votes. Incumbent Stephen J. Dunn also won another three-year term as Assessor with 628 votes.
The Kingston School Committee will see Peter T. Fitzgerald and Jennifer Rose Krowchun take the two open three-year terms, securing 554 and 548 votes respectively. Fitzgerald also successfully ran for the open three-year seat on the Silver Lake Regional School District (S.L.R.S.D.) School Committee, earning an additional 590 votes from Kingston voters.
In the Planning Board races, incumbent Jonathan Jacob Barnett Sr. held his five-year seat with 601 votes. Notably, a concentrated write-in campaign emerged in Precinct 2, yielding 78 of the election’s 81 total write-in votes for that office. Robert A. Ketter won the four-year Planning Board seat with 613 votes.
Further down the ballot, Jennifer L. Lavoie (573 votes) and incumbent Matthew Richard Donohue (567 votes) captured the two open seats as Library Trustees. Joseph P. Cunningham III (626 votes) and Carl William Peer II (492 votes) secured positions as Recreation Commissioners. Mark R. Guidoboni won the open Sewer Commissioner seat with 591 votes , and incumbent Robert Raymond Kostka retained his role as Water Commissioner with 616 votes.
Official Minutes & Data
Official Election Results
Office: Moderator (one for three years)
Outcome: Michael E. Cowett elected
Vote: 637 votes (Blanks: 235, Write-Ins: 4)
Office: Selectmen (two for three years)
Outcome: Joseph Paul Cunningham Jr. and Sheila Marie Vaughn elected
Vote: Cunningham Jr. (498), Vaughn (416), Dahlen (330), Ballinger (281)
Office: Assessors (one for three years)
Outcome: Stephen J. Dunn elected
Vote: 628 votes (Blanks: 240, Write-Ins: 8)
Office: Town Clerk (one for three years)
Outcome: Paul M. Gallagher elected
Vote: 726 votes (Blanks: 143, Write-Ins: 7)
Office: Board of Health (two for three years)
Outcome: Heidi Marie Whipple and Lauren A. Hache elected
Vote: Whipple (577), Hache (556), Randall (255)
Office: Kingston School Committee (two for three years)
Outcome: Peter T. Fitzgerald and Jennifer Rose Krowchun elected
Vote: Fitzgerald (554), Krowchun (548)
Office: Library Trustees (two for three years)
Outcome: Jennifer L. Lavoie and Matthew Richard Donohue elected
Vote: Lavoie (573), Donohue (567)
Office: Planning Board (one for five years)
Outcome: Jonathan Jacob Barnett Sr. elected
Vote: 601 votes (Blanks: 194, Write-Ins: 81)
Office: Planning Board (one for four years)
Outcome: Robert A. Ketter elected
Vote: 613 votes (Blanks: 257, Write-Ins: 6)
Office: Recreation Commissioners (two for three years)
Outcome: Joseph P. Cunningham III and Carl William Peer II elected
Vote: Cunningham III (626), Peer II (492)
Office: Sewer Commissioner (one for three years)
Outcome: Mark R. Guidoboni elected
Vote: 591 votes (Blanks: 273, Write-Ins: 12)
Office: S.L.R.S.D. School Committee (one for three years)
Outcome: Peter T. Fitzgerald elected
Vote: 590 votes (Blanks: 280, Write-Ins: 6)
Office: Water Commissioners (one for three years)
Outcome: Robert Raymond Kostka elected
Vote: 616 votes (Blanks: 252, Write-Ins: 8)
Source Document: Town of Kingston Official Election Tally Sheet