Two Selectboard members resign in Charlemont; special election planned for January

CHARLEMONT — The town will hold a special election in January because two of the three Selectboard members have announced their plans to resign on Dec. 30.

Marguerite Willis and Dan Girard both submitted resignation letters that have been approved by the board. According to Executive Secretary/Town Clerk Kathy Reynolds, Girard is moving out of Charlemont. Meanwhile, Willis resigned following a life-threatening car accident that will require months of rehabilitation, her resignation letter states.

Both members emphasized appreciation in their resignation letters for the time they spent serving Charlemont.

“To all the townspeople that I got to serve, it has been my pleasure to work with you,” Girard wrote, “and to hear your suggestions, comments, good and bad.

“It has been my distinct pleasure serving the town of Charlemont,” Willis wrote.

Efforts to reach Willis and Girard by phone and email on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Willis first won her Selectboard seat in 2017 in a race against Ronald Smith. She has lived in Charlemont since 1991, and served on the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont regional school committees for about 15 years.

Before moving to Charlemont, Willis, a University of Massachusetts Boston graduate in housing and development, served on the Marshfield Planning Board for nine years and on that town’s Board of Health for five.

Girard was elected in an uncontested race in May 2021. Before moving to Charlemont in 2001, Girard served six years in the U.S. Army as a military police staff sergeant, and 29 years as a police officer in Salisbury and with the Registry of Motor Vehicles’ special investigation unit out of Boston. He also spent 14 years as a substitute teacher at Hawlemont Regional School, Mohawk Trail Regional School, Sanderson Academy and Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, primarily working with children with learning disabilities and anger management problems.

Additionally, Girard was a division manager at Berkshire East before the pandemic began, and since then he has helped in a more administrative role. He also served on other town boards previously, including the Planning Board and Flag Committee.

With the two resignations, effective Dec. 30, Valentine Reid, who was elected earlier this year, will be the one remaining Selectboard member. A special election to fill the vacancies is planned for Jan. 10, from noon to 8 p.m. at Hawlemont Regional School.

Residents who are interested in having their names on the ballot can reach out to Executive Secretary/Town Clerk Kathy Reynolds at 413-339-4335, ext. 7 to obtain nomination papers. These papers are due back to Reynolds’ office by 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.

Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.