ERVING — Selectman Scott Bastarache has resigned, effective Aug. 20.
A special election will be held Oct. 8 to fill Bastarache’s seat, plus a vacant School Committee seat. Nomination papers are available now at the town clerk’s office, and are due by Aug. 20 at 5 p.m.
Bastarache announced his decision at the Monday night Selectboard meeting. He said that the time commitment of being on the board had become a problem, considering that he has two teenage kids and a full-time job.
Bastarache was first elected in 2016, and was re-elected to a second term this spring. He said on Monday that he’d had concerns this spring about the time commitment, but had decided to try anyway.
“I wasn’t able to find more than 24 hours in a day,” Bastarache said. “Rather than give partial time to a position that requires a commitment, I’ll let someone else who has that capacity step in.”
The split was amicable. Both selectmen Jacob Smith, who is the chairman, and William Bembury spoke highly of their experiences in working with Bastarache.
The two positions on the ballot for the Oct 8. election will be for the remainder of each term. Bastarache’s Selectboard term ends in 2022, and the School Committee position ends in 2021.
The School Committee now has four members and is meant to have five. The vacant position was on the ballot of Erving’s annual town election in May, but there were no candidates.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.