TOWNSHEND — This year, the West River Education District (WRED) will be electing one of the two “At Large” seats on the WRED Board. This position is currently held by Michael Foley. The term is for three years and will expire at the end of March 2023.
This elected position is different from the town-specific positions. All towns, except for Windham, will be voting for at least one position on the board this year at their town meeting. These positions will be filled in the same manner as other town positions. All towns except for Newfane nominate and vote for these positions from the floor.
For the “At Large” member of the WRED Board, any registered voter in the towns of Windham, Jamaica, Townshend, Brookline, or Newfane may run for this position and this election will be held by Australian Ballot on March 25.
However, in order to have one's name placed on the ballot, the individual wishing to run for the office must file a petition with the WRED Clerk.
Blank petitions are available from any Town Clerk in any of the five member towns or from the Windham Central Supervisory Union offices on Route 30 in Townshend.
Petitions must have a minimum of 39 signatures from registered voters. Any registered voter in any of the five towns may sign the petition. There are no town-specific numbers required so, as an example, all of the signatures on a person's petition may be from just one town and that would still qualify as a completed petition.
The completed position must be handed over to WRED Clerk Anita Bean no later than the close of business on Feb. 17. Bean is also the Townshend Town Clerk, so you may turn the petition over to her at the Townshend Town Offices in the Town Hall. Hours there are weekdays, except Thursday, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Bean will communicate with all the other Town Clerks from the five towns to verify that each signature is from a valid registered voter.