TOPSHAM — Among candidates for elected offices in Topsham, Brunswick and Bath this fall are a woman who sued School Administrative District 75 earlier this decade and a man who sought to remove the district’s board chairwoman this winter.
Three Topsham representative seats on the SAD 75 Board of Directors are available. Incumbent Holly Kopp is uncontested for another three-year term, but two seats with partial terms ending next year have drawn four people: Bill Keleher of Whitney Way, Don Koslosky of Brookside Drive, Jane Quirion of Labrador Lane and Sarah Ward of Elm Street.
The two partial terms result from vacancies caused by the resignations of Jane Scease as of Sept. 30, and Matt Drewette-Card on June 30. Kolosky was appointed by Topsham Selectmen to fill Scease’s term through this November, and Patrick Coen is filling Drewette-Card’s until that time as well.
Ward was elected Sagadahoc County treasurer last year, according to Topsham Deputy Clerk Tyler Washburn, himself a SAD 75 board member from Bowdoin. If elected to the board, she would be able to hold both posts, according to Washburn; Ward could not be reached for comment about whether she would do so.
Quirion, along with husband Matthew Pollack, sued SAD 75 in 2013 for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of their son, Ben Pollack. Their son, now 19, has autism and a language disorder, and is nonverbal. Since he is unable to communicate about what happens during the school day, his parents wanted him to be able to wear a recording device in school, which the School Department rejected.
The case escalated to the Boston-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which in March 2018 ruled in favor of SAD 75.
“I think I’m going to bring a different perspective,” Quirion said Monday.
The district should do a better job planning transitions for its special education students who age out of the school system “so that these skills we worked so hard on don’t get lost,” she said.
“And maybe a little less hostility toward parents,” Quirion added.
Keleher was in the news earlier this February when he, alongside Brandy Robertson of Bowdoin, penned a letter to then-SAD 75 board Chairwoman Kim Totten and former interim Superintendent Dan Chuhta, calling for the board to vote on Totten’s removal. Their letter, which followed the resignations of Joanne Rogers and David Johnson of Harpswell, criticized Totten’s “poor leadership skills and a complete lack of transparency and accountability.”
Johnson and Rogers later spoke in Totten’s defense, saying their departures had nothing to do with Totten, whom the board voted Feb. 28 to remove as chairwoman.
Keleher on Monday said he wanted to “do something for the community,” since he has two children in the school system. He said he is happier with how SAD 75 board business has gone in recent months, but was inspired to run given the open seats.
Marie Brillant and Bill Thompson are running again for their seats on the Topsham Board of Selectmen, with a challenge from Matthew Nixon, who served on the Comprehensive Plan Committee and sits on the Historic District Committee.
Brunswick council, school board seats
Brunswick has one contest, with Toby McGrath of Water Street and Jim Trusiani of Pleasant Street running for the District 6 Town Council seat being vacated by Jane Millett. Trusiani is a former Topsham selectman.
Councilor David Watson is unopposed for his District 1 seat, as is Councilor Stephen Walker for District 2.
The Brunswick School Board also has three open seats, for which all candidates are uncontested: incumbents Mandy Merrill for District 1 and Elizabeth Sokoloff for District 6, and newcomer Elizabeth Bisson (who would replace Benjamin Tucker) for District 2.
In Bath
In Bath, At-large Councilor Mari Eosco, the City Council’s chairwoman, and Ward 7 Councilor Aaron Park are running unopposed. With Bath City Councilor David Comeau not seeking re-election to his Ward 5 seat, former state Rep. Jennifer DeChant is running to replace him.
There are two open seats on the Bath-area Regional School Unit 1 Board of Directors. Both Anita Brown, the panel’s Arrowsic representative, and Alan Walton of Bath, who fills an unrestricted residence seat, are running again. Lorna Ryan of Woolwich, who has served on RSU 1’s Finance Committee, is challenging Walton.
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