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Select Board schedules Aug. 11 election to fill Ray Bourgeois vacancy
Summary
Following the resignation of Ray Bourgeois, the Select Board discussed appointment and election options and voted to hold a special election to coincide with the Aug. 11 primaries to fill the vacancy.
The Select Board opened discussion on how to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Select Board member Ray Bourgeois and decided to hold an election to coincide with the Aug. 11 primary.
Board members reviewed three options: appoint a replacement; appoint someone temporarily then hold an election; or hold a special election. Several members favored aligning the replacement election with the August primary to encourage turnout and reduce the clerk's costs. "I think the benefit we get from 2 extra months of having a member is outweighed by the ability of the voters to choose," one board member said while the chair noted that an appointed person would still have to run at the next scheduled election if the board chose that route.
After public input in favor of waiting for the primary to allow voters to decide, a motion was made and seconded to hold the election on Aug. 11; the board voted in the affirmative. The board discussed timelines for petitions and the potential for an appointee to serve only until the August election if the board chose that intermediate path in other circumstances.
