PETERSHAM — Just over a dozen residents gathered in the basement of Petersham Town Hall last week to hear from the two candidates running to fill a vacancy on the town’s Selectboard. The seat on the board opened up following the resignation of Josh Cayea earlier this year.

James Carmody, whose name will appear on the ballot, is opposed by write-in candidate Danny Stairs. Stairs fell two signatures short of collecting the number of signatures needed on his nomination papers to qualify for the ballot.

Carmody, a clinical psychologist and a native of New Zealand, told the audience, “I’ve been a citizen since about 2008, so I’m a legal immigrant.” Audience members chuckled when he added, “I’m in no danger of being hauled away by ICE, although you never know.”

“I love the town,” he continued. “It’s been wonderful. People come together who value duty.”

Running for Selectboard, he said, “wasn’t something I’d thought about at all.” He said he was asked by another resident to seek the seat, adding, “I’ve never done anything like this before. The town runs on volunteers; I believe that’s a good thing. So, I said, ‘Well, I’ll chip in and contribute what I can.’ So that’s what I’m doing.”

Stairs said he was inspired to run for the open seat by those who have given back to the town.

“My interest in this,” said Stairs, “and the reason I still wanted to go for it as a write-in, my
daughter went to school here, I went to school here, my mother went to school here, my
grandfather went to Petersham Center School. The beauty of the town we love so much comes from all of those generations of hard work and effort. My interest is in helping the town I come from, where we come from. It’s who we are as a community.”

Asked if he would be willing to serve in a different capacity if he is unsuccessful in his race for the board, Stairs responded, “Absolutely. Number one, my goal and vision is to try and be on the Selectboard. If that doesn’t work out, I will still be accessible, will still be talking to the townspeople and seeing what I can do to help.”

Carmody did note that he spends two and a half months with his family in New Zealand during the winter months, adding that is something voters need to take into consideration.

“From mid-January to the end of March can be a tough time for us because of the budget,” said board chair Susan Dougherty. “Is that window moveable for you?”

Carmody replied that he could be somewhat flexible regarding his schedule. He also said he could be able to participate remotely.

Dougherty explained that the responsibilities of a board member go beyond attending a meeting every two weeks. “Going to a meeting once a week or every two weeks, that’s easy,” she said.

“But it’s more than that. It’s understanding municipal finance which means a lot of meetings. I think people during their first year on the Selectboard can find things a bit chaotic. It could be hard to do that from a remote location. That’s my only concern.”

In response to a separate question, Stairs said he is a production scheduling planner “for a multimillion-dollar company in Gardner. In the Air Force I worked as a fleet management analysis member.”

Voting will take place Monday, Sept. 8 at Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The winner will serve the remainder of Cayea’s term, which concludes in April 2027.