By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Mickey Mouse can’t win Lewiston’s Ward 6 School Committee seat. But at this point, he may get the most votes.

There are no official candidates for the seat. No one has mounted a write-in campaign. No one has even shown interest.

“Nothing. We haven’t heard anything,” City Clerk Kathy Montejo said.

If nobody steps forward before Tuesday, the city may have to hold a special election just to fill the seat.

Ward 6 became an open race in August when Ronella Paradis, who held the seat for eight years, announced that she needed a break and would not seek another term. But after her announcement, no one took out papers to become an official candidate.

That candidacy deadline passed, but no one launched a write-in campaign.

Write-in candidates don’t have to tell the city clerk’s office that they’re running, but they usually do in order to get more exposure.

This year, Montejo hasn’t heard from anyone. Neither have the school superintendent or the School Committee chairman.

Because there are no official contenders, the winner will likely be someone whose name is written in by voters last minute, “whether it’s by their knowledge or not,” Montejo said.

That person may only receive a few votes but will win as long as he or she gets one vote more than the next person. The winner will not be obligated to take the seat.

Although voters can write in anyone’s name – Mickey Mouse is often popular – the person has to be eligible to hold the seat. That means, among other things, that he or she must be a real person and must live in Ward 6.

In order to add a write-in, voters have to include the person’s full name and address on the ballot. They must also connect the arrow on the ballot so the vote counts.

If there is no winner or if the winner doesn’t want the seat, the city will have to hold a special election to fill the vacancy. The City Council would set the election date, but Montejo believes it would likely be held at the end of December so the seat could be filled by the time the new term starts in January.

The Lewiston School Committee has lacked candidates before. Montejo has seen it happen twice in her six-and-a-half years with the city clerk’s office. Each vacancy was filled through write-in votes.