ROCKPORT, Maine — Elizabeth “Betsy” Saltonstall won a school board seat Tuesday night in one of the most unusual municipal elections in town history.
Seventeen people were on the special election ballot to fill a vacant seat to represent the community on the Five-Town Community School District and School Administrative District 28 boards.
Most of the candidates were unaware they were going to be on the ballot.
This odd scenario developed after no one took out nomination papers to fill the position being vacated by Gretchen Richards, who did not seek re-election.
During the June 14 election, Brendan Riordan received seven write-in votes for the seat — the most of anyone. Riordan declined to accept the post, however, because he had been seeking and was elected to the Select Board.
A person cannot serve on the school board and Select Board, according to Town Clerk Linda Greenlaw.
One other person received two write-in votes on June 14, but that person was a teacher who also was not allowed to serve on the board because she works in the school system.
There were 23 other people who also received write-in votes in June. Four people lived out of town and thus were disqualified, and two others who were aware their names had been written in on a ballot declined, Greenlaw said. That left 17 people with one write-in vote each.
The town clerk said she was advised not to contact each person but instead to place all 17 names on the ballot for the Aug. 2 special election that was scheduled to pick a winner. She said that each person not interested would have had to sign a document declining to be a candidate.
Saltonstall won Tuesday’s election with 45 votes. Jennifer Roper was the only other person to reach double digits, with 16 votes.