Livernois edges Cormier in County Commission race

SANBORNTON — With all five towns reporting, Andrew Livernois of Sanbornton edged Ron Cormier of Belmont by 17 votes — 346 to 329 — in the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat on the Belknap County Commission. Livernois will face Republican John Thomas of Belmont in the general election in November.

Voters in Livernois's hometown of Sanbornton handed him an overwhelming margin of 145 to 42, which Cormier could not overcome despite carrying Barnstead, Belmont and Gilmanton and running even in Tilton, where both candidates captured 72 votes.

"I am very gratified by the vote of confidence I received from the voters of Sanbornton," Livernois said yesterday. However, he said the results indicated that he was not well known in the other towns of the district, acknowledging that neither candidate mounted an aggressive primary campaign. "I've got some work to do in Barnstead, Belmont and Gilmanton," he said.

Livernois is serving his sixth year as a selectman in Sanbornton, where he chairs the board. Thomas served seven terms in the House of Representatives before retiring in 2008.