Thursday July 19, 2012

Residents of Williamstown and Lanesborough interested in joining the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee have less than a week to turn in nomination papers.

Seats held by David Backus and Heather Williams, both of Williamstown, and Jack Hickey, of Lanesborough, will be up for election in November. Nomination papers for the three, four-year terms can be obtained at the Williamstown and Lanesborough town halls, as well as the school district's office at the high school in Williamstown. Papers are due Tuesday, July 24, and 38 signatures of local registered voters are required.

Backus said Wednesday that he has already returned nomination papers to seek election to the seat, which he was appointed to in February. His appointment followed the resignation of Abigail Reifsnyder in January.

Reifsnyder was elected in November 2010 to complete the remaining two years of the four-year term originally held by Michael Rabideau, who resigned in 2009. In between Rabideau's resignation and Reifsnyder's election, Carrie Greene was appointed to the post. Greene was elected to fill a four-year term on the School Committee in November 2010.

Backus, who previously served on the Williamstown School Committee, said he wants to continue to support improvements at Mount Greylock and to work on getting the middle and high school a new building.

"I was the inaugural chairman of the School Union 71 School Committee and have participated in

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school committee work that has established connections between Williamstown and Lanesborough," he said.

Williams announced at a Mount Greylock School Committee meeting in March that she wouldn't seek re-election in November, and Hickey's status as a member of the committee is, as of now, undetermined.

Lanesborough Selectman William Prendergast Jr. said Hickey had submitted a letter of resignation earlier this month, but the board didn't accept it.

"We weren't happy with the reasoning behind it, and we wanted to talk to him," Prendergast said.

Prendergast declined to comment on Hickey's reason for resigning, but he did say the matter had yet to be resolved.

Efforts to reach Hickey on Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.

To reach Meghan Foley, email mfoley@thetranscript.com.