Decoding the mistake on Pembroke school district ballot: All three candidates will win seats

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Published: 03-08-2025 9:15 AM

When Pembroke residents cast their votes for school board on Tuesday, the ballot will direct them to pick two out of the three candidates running.

The problem is that there are actually three open seats on the board: two for full three-year terms and one to fill out the final year of a term that was vacated early.

The Pembroke School Board wrote in a statement on Wednesday that the ballot issue was “a mistake” and clerk Cynthia Menard said in an interview that it could not be rectified prior to next week’s election.

As a result, the board wrote that it would immediately appoint the last-place finisher to the one-year seat.

The five-member board staggers its three year terms. In a typical year, either one or two seats are up for election.

The confusion stemmed from Amy Manzelli’s resignation last July midway through her term, which was set to end in 2026. Since her resignation, her seat has been filled on an interim basis by Kenneth Nivison, one of the three candidates running for the board.

The other two candidates are current board vice chair Melanie Camelo and newcomer Sharon Eaton.

Current board chair Andy Camidge is not running for re-election.

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