BUCKFIELD — Selectmen voted Tuesday to hold a special town meeting March 24 to elect a selectman and assessor.

The decision came after Chairman Cheryl Coffman and Selectman Maida DeMers-Dobson reconsidered their Jan. 19 vote not to fill Scott Violette’s seat until the town elections in June.

Violette resigned Jan. 19, citing ethical and moral principles as a Libertarian.

“On the assumption the board decided to hold the special election for the vacancy for selectman and the vacancy for the assessor, I put together a schedule that fits the shortened nomination process,” Town Manager Cindy Dunn told the two selectmen Tuesday night.

She suggested making nomination papers available from Friday, Feb. 5, to Friday, Feb. 19. The papers have to be turned in by 5 p.m. Feb. 19, and must have no less than 25 and no more than 100 signatures, Dunn said.

She said absentee ballots should be available from Tuesday, Feb. 23, to Wednesday, March 23, as required by law.

The special town meeting will open at 7:50 a.m. Thursday, March 24, and the polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

DeMers-Dobson double-checked with Dunn about the dates of the abbreviated term. They run from March 25 until June 2017.

It was worth explaining why it’s a good idea to try and fill the vacancies, DeMers-Dobson said.

“This would be a good thing because it places somebody there to become familiar, or if it’s someone who served before, to fit in and understand current conditions,” she said. Coffman’s three-year term expires in June.

Two people on a three-person board makes a quorum, Coffman said.

“If one of us is sick, business stops,” she said.

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