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However, because Mr. Bennett is the lone Republican selectman he keeps the minority seat, pushing Mr. Cable off the board.
"Obviously, this is good," said Mr. Stuart. "We got our people on the board. Now with Curtis on, [the next two years] will be great."
Although occasionally embattled, over the past 28 years Mr. Stuart has only faced a handful of challenges for the top office. Mr. Cable had previously indicated he took on Mr. Stuart because he had expected the first selectman to retire by now.
The first selectman has come under fire over the past couple of years for his handling of the town's Burnham Fund, an account designed to benefit the needy in Bridgewater.
New Milford attorney Paul Garlasco filed a complaint with the state's Freedom of Information Commission after being denied access to Burnham Fund files. The commission ruled in favor of Mr. Garlasco.
Mr. Cable, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, previously said that under Mr. Stuart, "It seems that there's always some sort of conflict that we don't need."
Mr. Stuart, who says that this will definitely be his final term, admits that the board has gotten "a little contentious" over the past year, "but before that we were cohesive."
In other Bridgewater election news, Democrats Lori Franklin and Nancy Hawley gained spots on the Board of Finance, respectively getting 453 and 556 over Republican competitors Edgar Wainwright and Matthew Stevens, who respectively got 421 and 325.
The two open seats belonged to incumbents George Allingham, who did not receive the Democrat endorsement and came up short in a primary bid, and Chairman Colin Brown, who opted not to run again.
On the Planning and Zoning Commission, incumbent Jean Bandler, who won a Democratic primary, defeated Wayne Khare by a vote of 605 to 336.
