ERVING — With the resignation of Peter Sanders from the Selectboard, Erving will seek to fill his seat during the annual town election, planned for the first week of May.
Sanders cited unexpected personal matters for the reason behind his resignation, but declined to comment further when reached by phone. He said he will be staying in his double position as the town Water Department superintendent and the Wastewater Department chief operator.
A special election will not be held to fill the position. Town Administrator Bryan Smith said the Selectboard thought a special election would be too close to the annual town election in May, which could confuse voters and depress turnout for one or the other.
Instead, the position will be on the ballot for the annual town election. William Bembury and Jacob Smith are the Selectboard’s two remaining members.
Nomination papers are available from Town Hall. A successful nomination requires at least 20 signatures of registered voters who live in Erving, and must be submitted by March 15, according to Town Clerk Richard Newton. He recommended that nominees find more than 20 signatures, in case some of the signatories turn out not to be registered voters.
Sanders was elected in October of 2019, after the resignation of Scott Bastarache. He had worked for the Erving Highway Department before moving to the Wastewater Department, and now is the top manager for both the Wastewater Department and Water Department.
Reach Max Marcus at
mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.