Frontier School Committee race tops Conway ballot

Barry and Laurie Parker are checked in to vote in the 2024 town election by Conway election workers Aimee Anderson and Michelle Harris. This year’s election will be held on Thursday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Barry and Laurie Parker are checked in to vote in the 2024 town election by Conway election workers Aimee Anderson and Michelle Harris. This year’s election will be held on Thursday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By CHRIS LARABEE

Staff Writer

Published: 06-07-2025 10:00 AM

CONWAY — A Frontier Regional School District School Committee race tops Conway’s election ballot, as incumbent Jared Campbell is facing a challenge from Cecilia Van Driesche.

Conway’s election will be held on Thursday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Academy Hill Road.

Campbell, who is finishing his first term on the Frontier School Committee, said he wants to ensure the school district maintains its financial stability, which he said has been a strong point for the last several years. He added this is not just the work of the School Committee, as the district’s administration has done an excellent job.

“I’m proud of the district’s fiscally responsible choices and solid financial footing, but I’m [also] proud and excited about that in what it allows us to provide for the students at Frontier,” Campbell said in a phone interview. “My ultimate priority as a School Committee member is the students at Frontier, and providing each student with the best possible education and experience that the school can offer.”

Campbell added that his experience with helping steward the school budget will help him and his fellow School Committee members weather a turbulent economic future.

Van Driesche said the statewide dialogue around Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing and the results of Question 2 during November’s election inspired her to think about high school graduation requirements.

“I initially became interested after the MCAS was repealed and I started thinking about what the high school graduation requirements should be,” Van Driesche wrote in an email. “I had a really interesting and thoughtful email exchange with one of the current committee members, which inspired me to consider running for the Conway seat.”

There are three open seats — two on the Planning Board and one on the Board of Assessors — that have no candidates on the ballot, but could be won with write-in votes.

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The full election ballot is as follows:

■Selectboard, three-year term — Christopher Waldo, incumbent.

■Board of Assessors, three-year term — Vacant.

■Board of Health, two seats with two three-year terms — Kathy Llamas, incumbent, and Hazel Goleman.

■Constable, three seats with three-year terms — Brian Blakeslee, James Recore and Randall Williams, all incumbents.

■Frontier School Committee, three-year term — Jared Campbell, incumbent, and Cecilia Van Driesche.

■Conway Grammar School Committee, two seats with three-year terms — Elaine Campbell and Jared Campbell, both incumbents.

■Moderator, one-year term — James Recore, incumbent.

■Planning Board, three-year term — Vacant.

■Planning Board, two-year term — Vacant.

■Town clerk, three-year term — Laurie Lucier, incumbent.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.