Cross-endorsements, in which one candidate endorses another in multi-candidate elections, have been a relative rarity on the Midcoast in recent years, but today, an exception to the rule.

In Topsham, where five candidates are competing for a total of four seats on the SAD-75 School Board, incumbent Kim Pacelli said on the WCME Midcoast Morning Buzz that she plans to cast a vote for River Koriaty, the first transgender candidate for the board, who is also a science teacher at an alternative high school in Lewiston.

Pacelli says it’s very “valuable to have the real-life experience of educators” and says River “would bring a lot to the board.”

Pacelli is an education-oriented attorney who has worked heavily on issues involving Title 9, the federal civil rights law which prohibits discrimination in education based on gender.