HAWLEY — Hussain Hamdan stepped down from his position as Hawley’s representative to the Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee, effective Tuesday, saying he has many other town responsibilities and has identified an appropriate replacement.
He has found a former member, Scott Purington, to take the role. Hamdan said it was always his intention to leave the committee if the town found a qualified, willing replacement.
Purington was expected to be appointed at Hawley’s Tuesday Selectboard meeting, though he has already verbally accepted the position, Hamdan said. He added that Purington has some experience handling the school district’s finances as he has sat on the budget subcommittee.
“I took this as a necessary placement but never a long-term goal,” Hamdan said. “The only reason that I even accepted it was that we were under-represented at an important time.”
While Ashfield and Charlemont still have one vacancy each on the School Committee, which allots two seats per town, with Purington’s appointment, Hawley’s slate remains full. Suzanne Crawford is the town’s other School Committee representative.
Hamdan accepted the position in May after voters wrote him into the ballot. He already sits on several town boards — the Selectboard (which doubles as the Board of Health), the Hawlemont Regional District School Committee and the Communications Committee — and also volunteers for the town’s Fire Department, including coordinating the new search and rescue program.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.