WATERVILLE — The Waterville Board of Education is seeking candidates for the Ward 5 seat vacated last month when Julian Payne resigned because he plans to move out of the city.

Eric Haley, the superintendent of schools, said those interested in filling the seat should send a letter of interest and résumé by June 18 to ehaley@aos92.org, or mail them to Haley’s office at 25 Messalonskee Ave., Waterville, ME 04901.

Waterville Superintendent Eric Haley Morning Sentinel file photo by Michael Seamans

“We will invite all interested candidates to a board meeting for interviews on (June 22),” Haley said Friday.

That meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Waterville Junior High School library. Candidates may attend in person or virtually, according to Haley. A link to the board meeting will be posted on the city’s website — waterville-me.gov.

Haley said the board could appoint a candidate that night or wait until its next meeting.

Whomever is chosen for the seat would serve until the election in November, and could run again at that point for the seat. Payne’s was a three-year term. He was elected to the seat in November 2019.

Advertisement

Julian Payne pulls a stuffed toy rabbit out of a hat April 3, 2018, to illustrate a point he sought to make at a City Council meeting. Payne, 51, has resigned from the Ward 5 seat on the Waterville Board of Education because he is moving to Cornville.

Payne, who serves on the Waterville Charter Commission, announced May 12 he planned to resign from the school board two weeks later because he is buying a house in Cornville, where he plans to move by year’s end.

Payne, 51, had been on the school board for more than two years.

Haley said that when considering candidates, the school board looks for what populations are not represented on the board. For example, there are now a lawyer, two parents, a teacher, a businessperson, a counselor and a legislative aide serving on the board, so members may seek a candidate who represents another profession or other experiences or interests.

 

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.