Brunswick will hold a special election on Feb. 28 to fill the vacant District 5 seat on the Town Council.
The winner of the race will serve the remainder of former Councilor Chris Watkinson’s term. Watkinson resigned from the Town Council in November after a Cumberland County grand jury indicted the Bowdoin College employee on one charge of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12, a Class C felony, and one charge of possession of sexually explicit material, a Class D misdemeanor.
The term expires on Dec. 31, 2023. No candidates have stepped forward to run so far, according to the town clerk’s office.
District 5 residents interested in running for the position can pick up and submit nomination papers to the town clerk’s office by Jan. 25.
Town Hall will be open for voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Brunswick last held a special election two years ago when only 26 out of more than 3,000 eligible District 6 voters turned out to elect Kate Foye as their representative to the Town Council. In this November’s general election, more than 12,000 Brunswick residents cast ballots.
A small turnout in February would belie the special election’s importance, council Chairperson Jim Mason said. He cited major decisions the Town Council has recently made, including approving a $4 million land purchase in the Maquoit Bay watershed and $3.25 million sidewalk renovation project in downtown Brunswick.
“If you are civically minded, then I don’t think that there’s a better opportunity for you to help lay the path for the future of this community,” Mason said. “You will never know more about your town than during the time that you were on the Town Council.”
In a statement to the Portland Press Herald, Watkinson said he is not guilty and declined to comment on the details of the case.
Watkinson is set to make his initial appearance in Cumberland County Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
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