Council accepts Josephine Martin's resignation and sets process to fill Ward 1 school committee vacancy

The West Warwick Town Council on March 10 accepted the resignation of Josephine Martin from the school committee and discussed the process to appoint a Ward 1 replacement through the November election.

Council members praised Martin’s six years of service. A council member who moved acceptance said, "Joe's been on the school committee how many years now? It's 6," and several members offered thanks for his service before the council approved the resignation with regret.

Members then discussed how to advertise the vacancy and the application requirements. The council agreed to invite letters of interest and resumes from registered Democrats in Ward 1 and debated whether to request background checks. One member proposed a short deadline to allow the replacement to appear before the council at the April 7 meeting; later in the discussion a Friday deadline (March 27) was suggested to allow time for background checks, and staff agreed to circulate filing instructions and deliver applications to the school committee for recommendation.

Action and next steps: the council will accept applications (letters of interest and resumes) for the Ward 1 vacancy, with the item to be placed on the April 7 agenda for consideration. The council indicated background checks may be requested but not required and asked applicants to disclose felony convictions if applicable.