Two Warren residents who had been told they couldn’t apply are back in the running in the on-again, off-again attempt to fill a vacant seat on the Bristol County Water Authority’s board of directors.

BCWA critic Barry Lial, of Serpentine Road, and James Carter, of Water Street, were informed by the Warren Town Council last month — incorrectly, it turns out — that they cannot seek the seat vacated last year by Ray Palmieri, as they are both registered Democrats. Council members said at the time that the state enabling legislation that created the authority in 1986 allows no more than two directors from each town to hold the same political affiliation. With both seated members affiliated as Democrats, councilors told them they were ineligible.

But that is not correct. Councilors found out several weeks after that February council meeting that the political affiliation component was removed from the enabling legislation when the legislation was amended in 2013:

“They can both apply,” Warren Town Council president Keri Cronin said Wednesday.

Both have been told that they can interview for the position if they wish when the council holds its next meeting on Tuesday, April 14. That meeting will be closed to the public but will be live-streamed over the Internet; Ms. Cronin said candidates will be interviewed over the computer.

Apart from Mr. Lial and Mr. Carter, the other two candidates are Republican Chris Stanley of Market Street, and unaffiliated voter Brian Mellor, a former BCWA employee. Both were interviewed at last month’s meeting.

The change is only the latest in a series of questions that have plagued the council's search for a new director.

When the position first came open in January, councilors held off on a vote to give Warren Town Solicitor Anthony DeSisto time to research whether Mr. Mellor, as a former employee, was eligible (he is). And an early candidate, Warren Town Planner Bob Rulli of Middletown, was deemed ineligible as he is not a Warren resident.

At that time, councilors decided to re-advertise the position in an attempt to find more candidates; Mr. Lial and Mr. Carter stepped forward at that time.

When the two were told erroneously last month that they were ineligible, councilors decided again to re-advertise the position, and interview any new candidates at the March meeting.