The Milford School Committee will appoint a new member before its next meeting following a member’s resignation on Tuesday.
Morgan Gunnell, the previous member, resigned effective immediately on Tuesday, according to a social media post from the committee.
Gunnell, a firefighter in Milford, was elected to the Milford School Committee that oversees the Dr. Lewis S. Libby School, Milford’s K-8 school, on June 10 with seven write-in votes. He was intended to serve on the committee for three years.
His resignation came days after the Bangor Daily News first reported that Gunnell was convicted of assault in 2015.
The committee announced on Thursday that it would appoint a committee member without a town-wide vote before its Sept. 11 meeting. Committee members decided to appoint a new member because an election could not take place until 100 days after the vacancy was created, pushing a vote back to Nov. 22.
Under Maine state law, the committee has 30 days to appoint a new member. The new member would hold the seat until the next annual town meeting, according to the law. Milford’s annual meeting is in June, so the term would be less than one year.
The committee is currently taking citizens’ input on who should be appointed. Milford residents can send their recommendations to School Committee emails which are available on the Dr. Lewis S Libby School website.
Committee Member Samuel Clark said the ideal candidate would work well with the current members and want to improve the school through budget talks and an understanding of what students need.
“We would appoint a person based on what we feel is going to be the best match to do what’s right for the school,” Clark said.
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