Incumbent mayor Jay Kahn defeated perennial challenger Bradford “Bill” Hutchinson as the polls closed for the 2025 Keene Municipal General Election, which was held on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Kahn received a grand total of 2,862 votes across all five wards, while Hutchinson received 311 votes.
Ward Councilors
Kris Roberts (Ward 1, 4-year term) received 295 votes. Jacob Favolise (Ward 1, 2-year term) received 282 votes. Edward Haas (Ward 2) received 601 votes. Molly Ellis (Ward 3) defeated John Schmitt (Ward 3). Ellis received 562 votes, and Schmitt received 73 votes. Catt Workman (Ward 4) received 585 votes. Philip Jones (Ward 5) defeated Shane Brown (Ward 5). Jones received 481 votes, and Brown received 227 votes.
Councilors-at-Large
Laura Ruttle-Miller, Mitchell “Mitch” Greenwald, Randy Filiault, Michele Chalice and Bettina Chadbourne were elected as councilors-at-large, having received the top five votes out of nine candidates. Ruttle-Miller received 1,713 votes. Greenwald received 1,966 votes. Filiault received 2,155 votes. Chalice received 1,877 votes. Chadbourne received 1,828 votes.
Uncontested Positions
Ockle Johnson (Ward 1), Matthew McKeon (Ward 2), Lucinda McKeon (Ward 3), Ellen Wishart (Ward 4) and Christine Berry Houston (Ward 5) were elected as ward moderators.
Elizabeth Sayre (Ward 1), Jamie White (Ward 2), Sharon Melendy (Ward 3), Brian Phillips (Ward 4) and John Therriault (Ward 5) were elected as ward clerks.
Three ward selectmen were elected to each ward. Patricia Barber, Derek Hall and Susan Hansmeier were elected to Ward 1. Wes Cobb, Anne Farrington and Katie Folts were elected to Ward 2. Cheryl Kahn, John McKeon and Charlie Stone were elected to Ward 3. Nancy Ancharski, William Harmon and Paul J. Krautmann were elected to Ward 4. Kathaleen Austin, Daniel J. Fox and Charles Southgate were elected to Ward 5.
Checklist supervisors for all five wards were also elected. Kelsey Hilliard was elected to Ward 1. Linda Haas was elected to Ward 2. Charles Ferrando was elected to Ward 3. Tina Johndrow was elected to Ward 4. Kendall W. Lane was elected to Ward 5.
Ballot Measures
Two ballot measures, Question 1 and Question 2, were voted on during the election. Question 1 asked voters if the city of Keene should prohibit the operation of Keno, a popular lottery game, and was approved by voters with 2,207 voting yes, and 1,022 voting no. Question 2 asked voters if the town should allow the operation of social districts, which would include outdoor areas allowing the public consumption of alcoholic beverages for adults of age 21 or older. Voters rejected the proposal, with 1,980 votes for no and 1,172 votes for yes.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
