Selectman Michael Schneider has not spoken to at least two of his colleagues in nearly a month. On Tuesday, August 30, both Town Administrator Mark Andrews and Selectman Steve Holmes said they have not seen or heard from Schneider since he attended the town's National Night Out event on August 2.

Questions about whether Schneider will resign have been mounting for weeks. His 1st Avenue home appears to be empty. He has currently missed two consecutive regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meetings and one special meeting of the board.

Schneider’s home phone seems to be disconnected. On August 30, calls made to the residence were met with an automated response stating: “The party you are trying to reach is not currently accepting phone calls at this number.”

Schneider has not responded to requests for comment, including messages sent to his personal and town-issued e-mail accounts. His colleagues on the Board of Selectmen all say they haven't heard that Schneider would be resigning.

As of the morning of August 30, the Town Clerk's office had not received a letter of resignation from Schneider.

Selectmen Chair Walter Cruz and Selectmen Ellen Begley and Cara Winslow did not immediately return requests for comment on August 30.

During a Board of Selectmen meeting on August 23, Cruz said he is “not aware” of any plans for Schneider to leave his position..

Cruz’s statement was prompted by inquiries from resident Bill Whitehouse, who accused Schneider of abandoning his responsibilities to the board and leaving town during the "Citizens’ Participation" portion of the meeting.

In the event a Selectman does resign, Massachusetts General Law states the remaining Selectmen can choose to call a special election. If the Selectmen do not exercise that option, citizens may petition for a special election. The only requirement is the special election cannot be held within 100 days of the next regular election.

Schneider was elected to the Board of Selectmen in April in a six-way race for two open seats on the board. The race was the 42-year-old's first run for political office.

When asked about his candidacy in March, Schneider stated: "I want to make sure that Wareham's quality of life is where people want to come, live here, and enjoy themselves."

He received the second-highest number of votes in the race, behind Begley. Schneider and Begley are co-founders of citizens' group and political action committee Move Wareham Forward and ran as an informal team.