Wheaton

Only one candidate, John “Tim” Wheaton, is on the ballot for the open Yarmouth School Committee seat. Yarmouth will hold a special election on Oct. 21 to replace longtime School Committee member David Ray, who resigned last month for health reasons.

Wheaton previously served four terms on the Yarmouth School Committee, from 2003 until 2009 and then again from 2012 to 2018. He also served as chair during three school years.

“There is important work to be done. Some community members have asked me if I might once again dedicate myself to this work. I would like to do so,” Wheaton wrote in a memo to The Forecaster.

Asked about the largest issues facing Yarmouth schools, Wheaton said he recognizes the school budget’s ever-growing impact on property taxes. Given that personnel costs make up much of the school’s budget, Wheaton said he would strive to be fair to both taxpayers and teachers when hammering out the next collective bargaining agreement with Yarmouth teachers.

Wheaton has lived in Yarmouth for more than three decades and chose to raise his family in Yarmouth largely because of its strong public schools. He has three grown children who are all graduates of Yarmouth High School. Now retired, he worked 30 years for the insurance company Unum.

In addition to his work on the School Committee, Wheaton coached youth sports in Yarmouth and was on the board of trustees for the Yarmouth Historical Society from 2015 to 2018.

Wheaton said he thinks he’s right for the role because of his previous experience.

“I believe experience matters, particularly in filling a vacancy when pressing business already is underway and David’s successor will need to hit the ground running. I bring a deep understanding of how the committee and the schools’ work,” he wrote.

Ray told The Forecaster last month that he chose not to continue in his School Committee role because he was diagnosed with cancer in June and the duties of the committee had become too much while undergoing treatment.

Ray’s term expires in June 2025, so Wheaton would be on the School Committee for one school year before having to run for reelection, if he chooses.

The special election will take place in the Community Room of the Yarmouth Town Office on Oct. 21. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.