William Felkner was elected to represent Hopkinton on the Chariho Regional School Committee in 2006 with 98 write-in votes. In the first two years of a term that expires in 2010, he earned a reputation for opposing the leadership and for disclosing matters that he said should have been discussed in open meetings rather than in executive session. He maintains a blog for parents, cspf.wordpress.com.

This fall, he ran for Hopkinton Town Council and won one of its five seats.

He said he asked the state Ethics Commission and the Board of Elections informally whether he could hold both offices, and was told informally that dual office holding is allowed where it isn’t specifically banned, as long as he was careful to avoid voting on matters in either body that affected the other.

At the School Committee meeting the evening after Felkner was sworn in to the new Hopkinton Town Council, the school’s lawyer, Jon M. Anderson, delivered an opinion that Felkner could not hold both positions. The committee agreed, Felkner was asked to leave, he refused, and a Richmond police patrolman was called to escort him out.

Felkner then hired a lawyer, outgoing state Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventry, to argue that the committee had no right to unseat a duly elected official. Felkner sat in the audience Dec. 9 as Gorham urged School Committee members to reverse their decision. They did not.

The attorney general’s office is investigating whether the vote to remove Felkner was valid. Gorham said he would pursue a court remedy, if necessary.

— Donita Naylor

dnaylor@projo.com