By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
The sad, sudden passing of School Committeeman Richard Baniewicz last Saturday, mere weeks before he was to begin a new term in office, will create a vacancy on the School Committee, which just a month ago filled a vacancy following the sudden passing of the late Robert Carreiro.
According to Superintendent of School Frederick F. Foresteire, the vacancy created by Baniewicz’s passing will be filled by a vote of a Joint Convention comprised of the remaining School Committee members and the Everett City Council.
“The Charter states that any vacancy on the School Committee is to be filled by a vote of the Joint Committee,” explained Foresteire. “There will not be a special election.”
As was the case with the vote to fill Carreiro’s seat, the members of the Joint Committee will be able to accept nominations by any member of the two boards that wishes to support a candidate for the seat.
The Joint Convention will then vote on the nominations and the nominee who receives the most votes will become the newest member of the School Committee.
Prior to filling Carreiro’s seat in November, the members of the Joint Convention had the opportunity to consider two candidates who ran write-in campaigns in an attempt to earn enough votes to win the seat at November’s City Election.
Marcony Almeida-Barros, who was elected by the Joint Convention at a meeting in November, received more than 450 write-in votes on Election Day and longtime teacher and School Department employee Don Concannon got 250 votes at the polls.
However, that will not be the process this time. The process for identifying interested and qualified candidates for consideration by the Joint Convention will likely not be as much of a public process.