In the wake of this month's resignations of two Board of Education (BOE) members, including the interim chair, the Town Council will vote on Tuesday, Oct. 3 on motions to appoint two new members to fill the seats, one from each political party, for temporary terms which will last until one week following the 2017 the municipal election.

The Oct. 3 Town Council agenda, issued today, includes items for votes to appoint Carolyn Candelora (R) to a term ending Nov. 14, 2017 and Lynn Riordan (D) to a term also to end Nov. 14, 2017. Candelora would fill a seat vacated by former BOE interim chair Colby O'Rourke (R), who resigned Sept. 26 (see the story here). O'Rourke has also withdrawn her bid to run for re-election in November 2017 municipal election.

Riordan would fill a seat vacated by former BOE member Deb Prunier (D), who resigned on Sept. 15 from a seat with a term to expire in November, 2019.

According to Town Clerk Lisa Valenti, state statutes allow the Town Council to appoint board or commission members to fill vacancies to the end of a vacated term only in cases when a municipal election does not take place before the vacated term ends. If a municipal election, such as the November 2017 election, precedes the end of a term filled by appointment, such as Prunier's former seat, which expires in 2019, then the Town Council's appointment expires after the municipal election takes place and requires another appointment post-election.

The November 2017 municipal election ballot will include candidates from both parties vying for four open seats on the seven-member BOE. As of today, final candidate information was still being updated due to O'Rourke's decision not to run as part of the Republican ticket as well as the need for the Demcratic party to fill some remaining openings. All names for BOE candidates for each party are expected to be finalized next week, according to the Town Clerk's office.