Selectman Michael Schneider has notified the Town Clerk's office that he will resign from his post effective March 31.

Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva said she received Schneider's resignation letter on Wednesday, February 8, though she had contacted him on January 18 after hearing that he might resign. Silva said he told her at that time that he had no intention of stepping down.

Schneider will have spent less than a year in office on the date of his resignation. He was elected to the Board of Selectmen last April in a six-way race for two open seats on the board. Selectman Ellen Begley won the other seat.

It is too late for Schneider's seat to be added to the April 3 town election ballot. The Board of Selectmen will have to call for a special election to take place some time after March 31 or ask the state legislature to approve a method of getting the seat on the April 3 ballot.

"It's in the Selectmen's hands," Town Clerk Silva said.

A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen, scheduled for February 14, was posted at Town Hall on February 10. The agenda listed two items: "Election for resigning board member" and "Any Town business."

The meeting was canceled, however, on Monday. Employees in the Town Clerk's office and the Board of Selectmen's office said they did not know why the meeting was canceled. A similar meeting was then scheduled for February 15. For more, click here.

Schneider's decision comes less than six months after rumors that he would resign began circulating when he stopped attending Board of Selectmen meetings, his 1st Avenue home sat empty, his home phone was disconnected, and his colleagues said they hadn't heard from him. His young-adult son, who remained in Wareham, told those who inquired that the family had moved to Florida.

Schneider returned on September 6, and, reading a prepared statement, said: “The privilege of serving Wareham has meant a great deal to me. But there have been personal costs. High personal costs."

Schneider said he had taken several weeks to move his children from the Wareham school district to avoid threats. He did not elaborate on what those threats were. School officials said they were unaware of any reports of threats made to the school or to the Superintendent's office.

The Selectman did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday regarding his resignation, but his two-paragraph resignation letter -- dated February 7 and addressed to Silva and Board of Selectmen Chair Walter Cruz -- echoed his previous comments.

"As I have stated previously: My involvement with the Town and serving it as a member of the Board of Selectmen has meant a great deal to me," Schneider wrote. "However, my current personal situation will require that I relocate on a permanent basis and focus my energy on my health and the well being of my Family."

The letter was notarized by a notary public based in Maine. (Click the link below this story to read the entire public document.)

There is a timeline of events that must to be followed before an election takes place. Among other requirements, the Town Clerk's office needs to ensure that people have enough time to take out and return nomination papers and register to vote, Silva said.

Town attorney Rich Bowen confirmed that in order for the seat to have gone on the April 3 ballot, Schneider would have had to resign by January 30, Silva said.

Silva said she'll provide the Board of Selectmen with possible dates for the election. It could possibly take place in June.

Elections generally cost between $10,000 and $15,000, Silva said. No money is budgeted for special elections.

"It probably would require a reserve fund transfer," she explained.

In addition to the April 3 town election, a presidential primary election will occur on March 6. Once Silva knows how much those elections cost, she'll be able to determine how much extra funding she'll need the town to provide for the special election.

"I have to wait for my two elections to pass," Silva said. "By then I'll know what I have in my budget and then I'll know what [the special election] is going to cost the town."

Wareham hasn't seen a special election since June of 2001. Patricia Pratt-MacLeod, who had served as a Selectman for about a year, resigned earlier that year.