Frank Wright Photo courtesy of Frank Wright

Harpswell residents re-elected Frank Wright to the Maine School Administrative District 75 school board on Saturday.

Wright trumped challenger Sean Hall in a 381-132 vote to claim the three-year term, according to results provided by Deputy Town Clerk Cathy Doughty. Timothy Prindall, who told The Times Record he withdrew from the election last month, received 20 votes.

MSAD 75 includes Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.

Wright said he’s looking forward to “continuing to serve” the community for the next three years.

“I really swallowed (President John F.) Kennedy’s speech about doing what you can do for your country, and this is my little part of it,” he said.

Wright said his major goal is helping the board safely move students back to full-time in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I firmly believe that one of the offshoots of this pandemic is that American education will be forever changed,” he said. “We’re fortunate that the federal government has provided some direction, but as a district, we have our own situation to figure out.”

Wright also said he intends to maintain his position as a “bridge-builder” on a large board with many different opinions.

“We have a really strong board with lots of good people and I look forward to continuing to work with all of them,” he said. “While we may have differences of opinion, those differences are the start of conversation. We’re all in this together, and we all do this because we want to help the students and staff.”

Wright previously worked as a public school teacher and track and field coach for over 25 years in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He said his time in public education taught him how to make sure every voice in a room is heard, considered and respected when making tough decisions, like how to bring students back to fulltime, in-person learning.

“This has been my life, it will continue to be my life and even if I wasn’t re-elected, I’d still be involved with the schools,” he said. “Being a teacher has been the delight of my life and I’m happy I get to continue playing a role in our schools.”

Though he was the incumbent, this is Wright’s first time being elected to the school board by Harpswell residents. He, alongside Molly Perry, was appointed to the school board by the Harpswell board of selectmen in 2019 after two board members abruptly resigned.

Incumbent David Chipman, who ran unopposed, was also re-elected to the Harpswell board of selectmen.