This letter was addressed to the Rye City Clerk, Carolyn D’Andrea, and forwarded to us by the author for publication.
Emily Hurd, whom Mayor Josh Cohn appointed to the Rye City Council on January 5, 2022, does not meet the qualifications for serving as a City Council member. Her home in Rye was rented out within the last year. Her children were enrolled in public school in the State of Maine for the entirety of the 2020/2021 school year. She has not been in residency here for the past year as required in Rye’s City Code. This is not analogous to a “snowbird” or “summer residence” because of the length of absence from this city (and state), and the establishment of residency in Maine, in order to send her children to public school
The State of Maine’s Department of Education website is clear that one must claim residency in order to send one’s children to Maine’s public schools (https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/collection/helpdesk/resources/residency).
Additionally, Councilmember Pam Tarlow was determined to no longer be eligible to serve on the Rye City Council last summer after purchasing a home in a neighboring community, even though she still held a valid lease on a property in Rye. How is it possible that Ms. Hurd’s leasing out of her home in Rye and enrolling her children in public school in another state does not pose the same barriers?
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
- Susan H. van Dijk
