Old Orchard Beach residents will elect one town councilor on Nov. 4, even as the town reduces the size of the board by two members.

The Town Council is being reduced from seven to five members, a move voters approved last November. The council had expanded from five to seven members in 2012, but controversy followed with a deeply split board and a recall election that removed six councilors from office.

Incumbent Councilor Michael Tousignant is running unopposed for a two-year term. He served on the council from 2008 to 2012, then was elected to a one-year term in 2013. The terms of Councilors Robert Quinn and Malorie Pastor were also up, but both chose not to run for the one open seat.

David Boudreau and Michelle Violette are vying for a seat on the Regional School Unit 23 board of directors seat currently held by chairman Gary Curtis. The school board seat carries a three-year term.

Boudreau, 47, is a global businesses manager for Metabolics and a member of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. A newcomer to Old Orchard Beach politics, he previously served 12 years on the school board and four years on the city council in Gardner, Massachusetts.

“I think it’s important for a community to support education and make sure we give (students) the tools and the right education to get them ready for the next step in their lives,” Boudreau said.

Violette, 46, is the mother of two Old Orchard Beach students and an active school volunteer. She was prompted to run for the board after becoming interested in the district’s budget.

“My concern is for the quality of education, uniting the community and building a future,” she said.

Town Clerk Kim McLaughlin is running unopposed for a three-year term. She was first elected in November 2000.

Residents also will vote on a town charter amendment that outlines conflict of interest rules for town councilors and relatives who are town employees.

– Gillian Graham

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