MERRIMACK – Voters on Tuesday elected longtime Merrimack town councilor Bill Boyd to fill the state representative seat left open by the death in December of House Speaker Dick Hinch.

Boyd, a Republican who has served 10 years on the Town Council, topped Democratic challenger Wendy Thomas, 2,531 votes to 2,144, in what town moderator Lynn Christiansen called a record turnout.

She said more than 4,800 ballots were cast in the special election, in which third-party candidate Stephen Hollenberg, a member of the American Solidarity Party, garnered 104 votes.

Tuesday’s regular town election, meanwhile, featured a tight, four-way race for the three open Town Council seats.

Topping the field was Tom Koenig, with 2,889 votes to second-place finisher Nancy M. Harrington’s 2,823.

Nancy A. Olson Murphy secured the third spot, garnering 2,321 votes to edge out challenger Andy Hunter by just 140 votes.

Voters also approved the town’s proposed $34.5 million operating budget by a convincing 2,630 to 1,297 vote margin.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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