Kidd to Quit Republican Party

plans to resign on Monday - just not from the Board of Education. 

Kidd, a Republican, sent an email to party chairman Matthew Galligan Friday afternoon obtained by Patch stating that she plans to resign from the party on Monday and switch her political affiliation to "unaffiliated." Kidd currently serves as secretary of the Republican Town Committee. 

"I would like to step down as secretary of the MRTC and from the MRTC. I will be changing my party affiliation to unaffiliated on Monday morning," Kidd wrote in an email Friday. 

Kidd declined to comment about the situation Saturday, stating only "we'll find out Monday" when asked about her plans. 

Galligan confirmed the validity of the email Saturday. He said he received it about 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, an hour after he had had a brief discussion with Kidd urging her to resign from the Board of Education for . 

"We are no longer standing behind Merrill Kidd and I have urged her to resign from the Board of Education," Galligan told Patch Saturday. "At this point for the benefit of Manchester, and more importantly the Manchester students, we have to move forward and put this thing behind us." 

Galligan called Kidd a "friend" and said the party initially rallied around her when allegations emerged that Kidd sent harassing late-night Facebook messages to another member of the Board of Education, Democrat Kelly Luxenberg, because it first seemed that Kidd was the target of a political attack. However, he called Kidd's tenure on the Board of Education untenable Saturday. 

There is of elected members of the Board of Education or Board of Directors for improper or illegal conduct, so there is nothing the school board or Republican Town Committee can do to force Kidd's resignation. Kidd, who has stated in the past she has no plans to resign from the Board of Education, declined to discuss the issue Saturday.