CHICOPEE – The Chicopee City Council, the Chicopee School Committee and Mayor John Vieau gathered on the evening of June 2 for a special meeting, where a new at-large member of the school committee was officially elected.

In total, the brief meeting was no longer than 15 minutes. Council President Shane Brooks began the meeting by informing both bodies that one of the two final candidates, longtime high school and college educator John Mruk, wished to no longer be considered as a candidate as of the morning of June 2. No further explanation or comment was offered, so a motion was made to accept Mruk’s withdrawal, and he was officially withdrawn from the candidate pool.

Mruk’s withdrawal left just one candidate, Douglas Girard, the manager of the food and beverage concession at the Chicopee Country Club. Both bodies voted unanimously in favor or appointing Girard to the at-large seat, which has been vacant for six months.

 Previously, the seat had been filled by Michael Pise, who served the school committee for nearly two decades. However, at the Jan. 8 meeting, Pise announced he’d be stepping down from the school committee to serve Vieau as his chief of staff. During the Jan 8 meeting, Vieau expressed his initial hesitancy in asking Pise to come on as his chief of staff, stating that he knew the value Pise added to the committee.

The special meeting ended with Brooks stating that he would inform Girard that he’d been selected for the position.