Three vie for open seat at Westerly SC | Westerly

The council is expected to interview all three and then make a decision on who will take over the seat for the next few months of former vice-chairman Giuseppe Gencarelli, who resigned on July 18 for personal and health reasons, he said.

One of them is Democrat Timothy C. Killam, a candidate for election to the committee in 2024. Killam was appointed to the committee in 2019 following the death of member Patricia Panciera. He ran in 2022 but was not among the three candidates with the most votes. However, Killam came in fourth place with 3,455 votes.

Killam lives in Bradford and his children attend public schools. According to his application letter, he chaired the Special Education Committee for the past year and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the past three years.

“I have served on several hiring committees for WPS and, as a current parent, I am very knowledgeable about the needs of the district,” he said.

Seth M. Logan, a Westerly resident and parent, also ran for school board in 2022.

“As a parent, I began attending school board meetings and advocating for prioritizing student mental health through policy changes,” he said.

He served on the Westerly Middle School Improvement Team and recently applied for a seat on the committee’s newly formed Equity Audit Policy Subcommittee.

The third candidate is Mary Raftery, who has served on the school board for 12 years and has more than 40 years of experience as an educator, primarily at Pine Point School in Stonington. Raftery has lived in Westerly for 30 years.

“I am committed to working with other committee members, school administrators, teachers and parents to ensure that our schools continue to provide a supportive and effective learning environment for all students,” she wrote.

The committee member selected by the City Council will serve until the end of Gencarelli’s term in November.

Westerly’s school board has seven members who serve four-year terms on a rotating basis. The terms of members Lori Wycall, Leslie Dunn and Michael Ober expire in November 2026. Wycall is a Republican, Dunn and Ober are Democrats.

The terms of incumbent Republican Christine Cooke and Democrats Diane Chiaradio Bowdy and Chairman Robert Cillino end in November and they are not seeking re-election.

Democratic candidates for school committee include Killam and Angela B. Goethals, who ran unsuccessfully in 2022, and political newcomer but education veteran Peter L. Nero, who was superintendent of North Stonington schools.

First-time Republican candidates for school board include Crystal Jackson, Joseph Jackson and Kristi Walston.