Rachel Randall and Kelly Butler will join the Auburn City Council next month after winning their contested races for the Ward 1 and Ward 4 seats, respectively, on Tuesday. Tim Cowan, in Ward 2, held on to his seat in the only other contested race for the City Council.
Randall, a certified surgical technologist, defeated Noah Yarnevich 753-333 in a matchup of political newcomers. The Ward 1 seat was previously held by Rick Whiting, who did not seek reelection.
In Ward 2, Cowan fought off a challenge from Thomas Page, winning by a tally of 1,035 to 470.
Mathieu Duvall, a former Planning Board member, was unopposed for the Ward 3 seat, which was held by Stephen Milks. Milks chose not to run for reelection.
In Ward 4, Butler unseated Ben Weisner by a vote of 637-363.
Leroy Walker was unopposed for his eighth term as the Ward 5 councilor, while Belinda Gerry and Adam Platz were also unopposed for the two councilor at-large seats.
The overall voter turnout in Auburn on Tuesday was 43%, with 6,704 of the city’s 15,724 registered voters taking part.
**Friendly Competition at the Polls**
On Tuesday morning, Bob Hayes and his fellow election volunteers enjoyed a friendly competition while assisting rushes of voters at Auburn Hall. Hayes, a former city councilor and warden for the polling location serving Wards 3 and 4, checked the turnout numbers as of 10 a.m.—164 voters in his room for roughly half the alphabet by last name. He then walked across the hall to the room serving the other half, where the tally read 182. Hayes’ room had lost its early morning lead.
“Time to go outside and rally some voters with names in the first half of the alphabet,” he joked.
The camaraderie between election volunteers comes from many years of working together on local elections. Hayes’ wife, Bonnie, was part of the volunteer crew in the rival room.
Hayes noted that, based on conversations with voters, it was mostly the referendum questions driving turnout. While all City Council and School Committee seats were on the ballot, many races were uncontested. He also shared that when the polls opened at 7 a.m., there were more than a dozen people waiting to get in.
Charles Henry of Auburn said he normally votes absentee but visited Auburn Hall to vote Tuesday because it is close by. He explained that absentee voting is particularly helpful for people like himself who rely on Social Security and often find it difficult to travel.
“It’s convenient for me,” he said. “It’s hard to get around some days.”
As Henry exited, a new group of voters were lining up outside Hayes’ room. Perhaps the lead was about to change hands again, Hayes said with a smile.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/11/04/randall-butler-cowan-elected-to-auburn-city-council/
