Two people are running for an open seat on the seven-person Hermon School Committee.
James Stubbs and Eugene Sullivan Jr., who goes by Gene, are running in a special election for the open seat after Christopher McLaughlin resigned. His term expires June 30, 2025.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Patricia A. Duran School at 235 Billings Road.
The Hermon School Committee candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.
James Stubbs
Stubbs, 49, is running for the seat because he wants to help bring the community together, he said. The community is stronger when everyone works together and people need to be treated with respect to help with that.
He has lived in Hermon for more than 20 years. He and his wife, who is from Hermon, have two children in the school district.
“While I have yet to hold an elected official position, I believe I possess the qualities to be successful once elected,” Stubbs said. “Integrity, respectfulness, humility, and the ability to work as a team player are some of the attributes that I intend to utilize if elected.”
Another issue he wants to address if elected is improving the safety of students and staff. Hiring a school resource officer was a good step, he said. The school did a safety audit last year and he wants to see how else safety can be improved based on its findings.
Stubbs works as a machinist for General Electric, as well as the animal control officer for the town. He chose to become a machinist while attending the United Technologies Center in high school.
As someone who didn’t take the traditional college path, Stubbs said he wants to advocate for students in a similar position. He wants to help students graduate ready to work and get local employers in front of them, he said.
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Eugene Sullivan Jr.
Sullivan, who goes by Gene, had never considered running for office because he’s not very political. Now that he has two kids in the elementary school, though, he said his perspective changed after talking to community members.
“I grew concerned about the rising level of tension that was happening over the past couple of years,” he said. “I just want to try to bring the focus back to the kids. I really just want to get involved solely for that purpose.”
Sullivan, 47, moved to Hermon in 2017, and has lived in Maine for decades. He is a lawyer based in Bangor.
Working together for the interests of students and focusing on collaboration instead of confrontation is a big change Sullivan said he wants. The schools have great leadership and staff, which the board can help support, he said.
“If we recognize that teachers, administration, parents and students, we’re all on the same team, we all have the same goal, which is to ensure the best education for our kids,” Sullivan said.
It’s not a people problem in Hermon, it’s an issue with communication, he said. As a lawyer, he’s participated in countless conversations with disagreements and he said will bring great skills for mediation to the board.
“I appreciate the opportunity to run for the school board,” Sullivan said. “I don’t take it lightly.”
