East Greenwich Gearing Up for School Committee Special Election

Town officials have begun planning for a special election this winter to replace School Committee Member Clark Smith, who has resigned his seat after taking a job in another state.

The election, which will be held this winter, is required because there is more than one year left in Smith’s term.

The Town Council was scheduled to review the issue at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting and councilors will soon have to pick from one of two election schedules.

Elaine Vespia, clerk of the Board of Canvassers, explained in a Sept. 1 memo to the Town Council that the election could be held on Dec. 29 or Jan. 5 with specific deadlines for the town, candidates and voters following suit.

Based on an election day of Dec. 29, East Greenwich has about one month to select poling places and submit lists of primary officials to the state Board of Elections.

Meanwhile, candidates must have their declarations of candidacy filed by Oct. 16 and voters need to be registered to vote by Oct. 25 if they wish to participate in the Nov. 25 primary, if a primary is necessary.

Opting for a Jan. 5 election would offer a little more breathing room, but not much.

Logistically, the town must grapple with the possibility of polling places located at schools conflicting with student activities. At Frenchtown and Hanaford Elementary Schools, for example, voting is in the gymnasium, so there may have to be some switching up of gym classes.

Because the School Committee seat is town-wide, all five polling locations must be open. Schools can be used as polling locations while school is in session “however we may have to change the room we use to lessen the disruption to students,” Vespia wrote in the memo.

Turnout will likely be light, which means the town will likely employ fewer poll workers than in a general election. And with everything brushing up against the holidays, there’s even more reason to expect quiet polling places.

The election will cost the town some money, but it does offer an opportunity for the placement of bond referendums before voters. And East Greenwich is poised to do just that. Also on Tuesday night’s agenda is a proposed resolution to authorize the town to seek a $5.5 million bond to replace rotating biological contactors and “miscellaneous plant improvements” at the town’s wastewater treatment facility that discharges into Greenwich Cove.

Officials have confirmed with the board of elections that the referendum question for the wastewater improvements can be put on the special election ballot.

That means the town must have the resolution passed and the language to appear on the ballot submitted to the elections board by either Nov. 9 or 16 depending on which election schedule is picked.