A special election will be held in Wiscasset, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 to fill the vacancy left on the board of selectmen following the resignation of Judy Flanagan.

On Tuesday night, Nov. 22, selectmen opted to fast-track the process. Nomination papers for filling the remainder of Flanagan’s term will available Dec. 6. The deadline for returning them will be the close of the working day Friday, Dec. 16. Absentee ballots for the election will be available Dec. 27.

Following Flanagan’s resignation Nov. 15, the board voted to have Town Manager Marian Anderson meet with Town Clerk Linda Perry to make arrangements for holding the special election as soon as possible. Flanagan’s resignation was effective Nov. 16; her unexpired term runs until June 30, 2017.

Perry told the Wiscasset Newspaper, state statutes require a special election when resignations occur on either the board of selectmen or school board. She said guidelines for a shortened election process require nomination papers to be made available 10 days before the filing deadline. The filing deadline is 14 days prior to the election, she explained.

The state recommends setting the filing deadline for nomination papers to be more than 30 days prior to the election, so that a town clerk will have time to prepare the absentee ballots in accordance with Title 21-A Section 752.

“When using the regular process for our annual election of officers, nomination papers are available on the 85th day before the election,” continued Perry. “The filing deadline is 45 days before the election. Absentees need to be made available 30 days prior to the election.”

Following the special election, the newly elected selectman will take office at the start of the 2017-18 budget process and serve a five-month term. Should they want to remain on the board of selectmen, they’ll need to file nomination papers again at the end of March to be included on the June 2017 ballot.

The selectman’s seat currently held by David Cherry also expires June 30.

At the outset of Tuesday’s meeting, Chairman Judy Colby said she wished Flanagan had reconsidered her decision to resign. “I’m really going to miss her; she worked very, very hard to do what she felt was best for the town.”

Perry told selectmen the state required a unanimous vote in order to go with a shortened process. With little discussion, the board voted 4-0 to do so.

Selectman Ben Rines, Jr. said he didn’t like the idea of people having to wait two weeks to take out nomination papers. Perry responded the delay was necessary in order to run legal advertisements announcing the position in the newspapers. “Where you’re shortening the timeframe it would be better for you to do that,” she said.  

Resignations from the board of selectmen aren’t unprecedented in Wiscasset. In August 2015, Selectman Bill Barnes unexpectedly resigned from the board 13 months into his two-year term. The day after Barnes resigned, selectmen agreed to have balloting for filling the vacancy at the November general election. Voters elected Colby in a three-way race. After finishing out Barnes’ term, Colby was re-elected to the board this past spring for a two-year term.

Perry said nomination papers for the Jan. 31 special election will be available at the town office during regular business hours. They must contain at least 25 but no more than 100 signatures of Wiscasset residents. The town office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.