Though her name will still appear on the April 3 ballot, candidate Mary Jane Driscoll has announced that she will not seek the two-year Board of Selectmen seat vacated by Michael Schneider.

Driscoll's withdrawal on Friday, March 2, came too late to Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva's office to be removed from the April 3 ballot. The deadline to withdraw from any race was Thursday, Silva said.

"It was with mixed emotions that I withdrew my name for consideration. I had planned for running next year, but when this position opened due to the resignation of J. Michael Schneider, I thought I should seize the opportunity" Driscoll said in a press statement. "However, after further reflection of many exciting and new things occurring in my personal life, I do not believe that if I am elected, I would be able to give 100% to this important position at this time."

In the statement, Driscoll apologized for not announcing her withdrawal before the deadline, but noted: "I needed time to make sure that if I withdrew, there was a candidate that I felt comfortable in supporting."

Driscoll continued: "After looking at the other candidates for this seat, I am optimistic that there is one candidate who I can support. I am looking forward to supporting Amit Johar in this election."

Driscoll thanked the people who supported her candidacy and noted that she plans on running for a Board of Selectmen seat in 2013.

Peter W. Teitelbaum of Oak Street, Amit Johar of Cranberry Highway, and former-Selectman Patrick Tropeano of Dowd Avenue are running for the seat.

Schneider, who will resign from his post as of March 31, announced his resignation in February -- too late for his seat to easily be added to the April 3 ballot. The town is now asking state legislators to approve the addition of the seat to the ballot.

State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) said last week that his office had received the town's request. The bill is in the governor's office and is undergoing legal review, a necessary step before it is filed.

If legislators do not approve the request, the town will have to call a special election, which could cost thousands of dollars.

Pacheco said he thinks the bill will be "generally supported in the legislature," since it will save the town some money, but he didn't want to speculate further about whether the bill would be ultimately approved.