CHESTERFIELD — Town elections, which will be held Monday, feature a single contested race for a spot on the Hampshire Regional School Committee between incumbent Laura Somes and Westfield Middle School Principal Jesse McMillan.

On the ballot are a total of seven incumbents out of eight nominees. Christopher Ryan, who is putting in a bid as tree warden, is the only fresh nominee on the ballot other than McMillan, who has served on the school committee in the past.

Votes will be cast from noon to 8 p.m. in the Chesterfield Community Center.

Laura Somes

Incumbent Somes is wrapping up her first term on the Hampshire Regional School Committee. Over that time, she says she has “learned a lot” about the mechanics of the committee.

A temporary ban on cellphones in the classroom stands out as a key achievement of hers, and she would like that ban to become permanent.

“I feel my biggest accomplishment was basically spearheading the effort towards a cellphone free environment at Hampshire,” Somes said. “So far in pilot program feedback from administration, the majority of families and students say that the environment has been improved massively.”

There are a variety of reasons that motivate her to come back for three more years.

“Serving is important in this day when people have a lot of opinions, but they don’t really want to come out and voice them,” she said.

As the mother of two juniors at Hampshire Regional High School, Somes wants to see the small student body of Chesterfield students represented.

Somes moved to Chesterfield in 2018 after living in a variety of places over her life.

Number crunching is a standout feature in her resume, which she believes is needed on the school committee.

Now retired, Somes spent her entire career from 1990-2006 at the Department of Labor, retiring as a senior economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“If I can work to get things back on track, that’s important. It’s just another aspect of being on the school committee at this point,” she said.

And while she is currently in a race, she said it’s not a fight. “I am sure he’s just great,” she said, referring to McMillan. “I am not running against anyone.”

Jesse McMillan

McMillan is looking to translate his decade-plus of education experience to a role on the school committee — a position he is no stranger to.

From 2017 to 2018, he served on the committee, stepping down when he was hired as principal of Chesterfield’s New Hingham Regional Elementary School, a spot which he held for five years, and left on “excellent” terms, he said.

McMillan uses that same word “excellent” to describe the current status of Chesterfield’s educational opportunities. He wants to keep it that way for his daughter, one of his two children, who is about to start her journey in the regional school system.

Born and raised in Greenfield, McMillan moved to Chesterfield in 2016.

“Is there an agenda? There isn’t,” he said. “When people talk they might say there is an agenda to running for school committee, but my primary reason is to serve my community and support our schools.”

McMillan said that transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility would be his primary focus.

“Anywhere you go in education, you have to be creative about how information is disseminated,” he said.

And as a taxpayer, “My focus is to continue to invest wisely in our education. There’s not a lot of growth in our town, and increases can make a big impact,” he said.

McMillan points to his career as proof of why he can put together a budget that “balances both strong educational opportunities and fiscal responsibility.”

He started out in 2015 teaching middle school and high school English in Springfield and Pittsfield. After leaving New Hingham, he became principal of Westfield Middle School, a position he has held since 2022.

In his spare time he serves as a board member for Western Mass Charity Dancethon Inc., a nonprofit that is involved in youth outreach.

The ballot

The other names on the ballot are:

■Donald Willard, looking for three more years on the Select Board.

■Edward Severance for a three-year term as assessor.

■Kirke Henshaw for three more years on the Board of Health.

■Amy Gavalis seeking three more years as library trustee.

■Frederick Drake Jr. and Sarah Hamilton for two open seats on the Planning Board.

■The Chesterfield/Goshen School Committee has two vacancies without nominees on the ballot.

■Jeffrie Young seeks three more years as constable.

■Christopher Ryan has been nominated in caucus for the position of tree warden.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com