One of the candidates on Wiscasset’s ballot for school committee no longer wants your vote. Jonathan Barnes has decided he won’t take a seat if he wins one of the two up for election June 14. And Town Clerk Linda Perry said in a phone interview, if Barnes is one of the top two vote getters in the four-way race for two seats and he declines – as he told her and Wiscasset Newspaper he plans to – it would be up to the school committee to appoint someone until the June 2023 elections.

“He has verbally said but like I told him, ‘If you do get one of the seats, I will notify you and you can officially at that point tell me ...,’” Perry explained. In her 20 years as a town clerk, seven in Wiscasset, she has not seen someone on the ballot ask to withdraw from consideration. “But it does happen,” such as for personal reasons, she said. 

Barnes, also in a phone interview, said voters should ensure they get someone they want in the seat; and voting for someone other than him is the way to do that, he said. “I’m trying to quickly spread the word between now and the vote to let people know, ‘Hey, vote for the candidate you want if you want to have a say, versus leaving it up to the school board.’”

The Wiscasset police officer’s pullout from the race relates to his plans to serve as the police department’s school resource officer and how that job, another ballot item, would be funded: The warrant states a $60,000 grant from the school department would partly offset the SRO’s $86,253 cost. Barnes said the SRO would not be a school department employee, but a community member asked about a possible conflict of interest.

“Technically, I’m not a school employee, I’m a town employee, but at the same time, funds from that grant are going to pay for my position, hence the gray area (and) I’m not willing to taint my badge, my reputation and my position. The school resource officer position is way more important to me than the school board position.”

Barnes announced earlier Wednesday via email: “After many conversations and much thought I am announcing that I am removing myself from consideration ... Maine statute says school employees cannot sit on the school board. Although I am not technically a school employee I will be working in the schools daily. Legally there is nothing stopping me from running but I do not want any questions about it being a conflict of interest ... I hold myself to a high standard and try to remain above reproach.

“That being said I still need your support by turning out to vote for the SRO position in June. I am open to discussing my vision moving forward with the students and their families in that role,” the announcement concluded.

In the interview, Barnes reiterated he would like to hear from anyone with questions about the SRO. Contact him via the police department, he said.

Last June, the SRO job lost 202-198.

The grant is from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Superintendent of Schools Terry Wood said.