BOE Elections - 2013

[rr]

I've heard/read some rumors about some people looking to run in the upcoming BOE elections and just curious if there's a place to confirm who is planning to run?

I know there is about a month to file the petition but if someone does file the petition in advance is it public knowledge?

I've heard that some former BOE trustees are looking to run again...curious if its true or not.

Certainly looks like it's going to be an interesting budget / BOE election season.

[lilly]

I think petitions needs to be in a certain amount of time before the May election. Not sure on the timing. At that cut-off date, Elaine (district clerk) may confirm who is running. (I think.)

Two seats are up, Jean Quinn's and Bill Russack.

I've heard Bill Russack will be running. Ralph Spagnola, a former BOE trustee also plans to run. From what little I know, a college aged kid and recent WHS graduate is running. Name is Peter Mont.... (sp).

[Chris_Wendt]

You really cannot tell until the day after the petitions are due, or perhaps the day after that. Petitions need to be validated, and they can be withdrawn, challenged, etc. The names will be announced in due course.

Petitions do not have to be "taken out" from the District Clerk, either. A prospective candidate can start his or her own petition without getting one from the District, as long as the one submitted comports with the requirements for nomination. Finally, the actual prospective candidate does not have to be identified to the District Clerk at the time a blank petition is requested; only the actual candidate's name must appear on all copies of the petitions signed and filed, however.

Hope this is helpful.

Chris Wendt

[rr]

Thanks Lilly - I heard similar things - according to the district site the petitions need to be filed with the clerk by April 22. I wasn't in the district during the Spagnolo era but based on some of the posts related to his tenure not sure he's the right guy for these tough budget crunches we'll be looking at in the upcoming years...

[Chris_Wendt]

** TONIGHT **
Meet the Candidates Night
7:00-9:00 PM
Wantagh High School Cafeteria

[rr]

Perhaps I'm being a little selfish but it would be great if someone was able to post a video of the debate on Youtube...I'll be there for awhile tonight but have to leave around 8 so I will likely miss the debate portion, which is probably the more interesting part of the process. Have they done debates in the past?

[lilly]

So, what did everyone think?

There were about 75 attendees - fairly good attendance compared to BOE meetings but not a great showing for a community district event.

[rr]

Interested to see what everyone thought of last nights candidates...anyone? I had to leave a little early so I may have missed some substantial Q&A but here's what I thought of what I saw

I thought Kera was the standout speaker for good reasons...she was well spoken, knowledgeable and her background as a teacher and her work within our district with SEPTA, Full Day K and Declining Enrollment are good experiences. She has young children in our schools and is very invested in the community and our schools - she should be a lock for one of the seats.

I thought David and Ralph were standouts for other reasons...

Ralph seemed to be promoting the fact that we was able to spend a lot of money during his tenure on the board and I'm not sure I heard one substantial statement about education. David seemed to think he could impact GPA scores as a BOE trustee and I believe he said he wasn't prepared to speak and also spoke in pretty derogatory terms about Nassau Community College...not sure that was the best way to make an impression on people sitting on the fence.

I thought Peter was very well spoken and obviously an intelligent person, his statements about technology and preparing our kids for the workforce were right on. However, I'm still not sure if he has his resume or the community in mind for running plus I'm a bit hesitant to entrust my kids education and my hard earned tax dollars to someone that has never paid a tax bill or met with a teacher as a parent.

Bill seemed to stand on the past few budgets being under the tax levy and said he was involved in crafting the budgets...he then also spoke about how important technology is to the future of the district. That seemed a bit hypocritical to me since I think this last budget actually had tech mentor cuts while we see over $425K for 4 librarians in the district...why are we still spending so much on librarians? When was the last time anyone outside of school visited a library vs. when was the last time you looked at a computer for news, books, mail, banking, etc...?

Mike Costello seemed like a very nice and dedicated man but I didn't really get much substance from his answers. He obviously has strong ties to the community and has been involved in volunteer work and fundraising but I'm not sure he's the best candidate.

Don Lang was well spoken, obviously very invested in the community with 5 kids and has some experience working in a high profile district. His experience could benefit our district.

I think they're all good people and I'm proud to see so many candidates want to make a difference. They should all be commended for running for the position but some just seemed to be a better fit than others.

Interested to hear what others thought...anyone? Bueller?

[lilly]

Thanks rr. We share similar but not quite the same impressions.

IMO Bill, Kera and Peter Mount... had the most substantive comments.

I got stuck on Ralph's comment about budget committee meetings this year and the community going through the budget line item by line item bc that *didn't* happen. While it has been done in previous years, this year the BOE disbanded the BAC. Instead of 10 or so BAC meetings (with committee members and meetings devoted to certain areas of the budget discussed at length) there were only 3 "budget workshops", really just a primer on budgets.

Regarding Peter M, some of his proposals aren't viable. I believe there are NYS regs that say you can't use public schools for advertising revenue e.g., banners on the field/sportsplex or district website. And, while he is energetic and bright, his closing statement was something like "face it, I may be the only one in this room who was educated in this century" - a hint of the invincibility kids that age exhibit. So, let me comment on this little whippersnapper from my rocking chair, lololol... There were in fact, several adults in the room who are currently being "educated in this century" who make up the voting population of Wantagh. And, while young & bright, we have too many weighty issues which will get trickier and harder in the next 5 years so do not want a 19 yo who hasn't paid a mortgage, taxes, had a parent/teacher conference, etc., etc. or real life business experience on the BOE. Yes, I'm age discriminating - well not age discriminating exactly, more like experience discriminating.

I don't think Bill Russack was being hypocritical bc of the cut to computer mentors. Right before Bill came on the BOE, there were disastrous bond referendums for maintenance items and a controversial sportsplex in the back of the HS that all eventually passed, some by literally can count on one hand number of votes. These bonds were voted down and put up again until they passed. Ralph referred to how that bond $ was spent last night. During that time of sportsplex construction I had to hear through my kids about teacher and kid comments on continuing lack of educational supplies/materials, comments about questionable priorities and a kind of contempt for the construction of the sportsplex out the back windows. At the time, we had 10 year old *obsolete* inoperable technology. As a taxpaying parent, the misguided priorities and the lack of tech planning made me angry (oh and with high taxes). We were building a second gym (for a relatively small high school), tennis courts, batting whatever, turf field and there was no operating tech even for those kids and teachers who needed it, much less for the benefit of the general population of kids and teachers? The following year when Bill was on the BOE, there was a huge investment to replace the obsolete tech and continual emphasis on plans to maintain/increase tech since. So, while the immediate decrease in computer mentors stinks, I don't think he deserves that hypocritical comment. He was part of getting Wantagh into this century with tech. JMO... You also have to weigh in that you do want someone who is experienced in district budgets that has a good track record with it to help navigate us through the next few tough years. Bill fits that bill - no pun intended, lol. But, he did have the concrete examples to demonstrate his qualifications.

[lynch]

In my opinion,
The candidates were up on a stage doing more then we were,Seems we were sitting in our seats critiquing every word.I'm sure they were all nervous,In past years candidates were not put in the spotlight. The seven candidates spoke more last night, then most of the present board members have in three or more years, As a matter of fact, I wonder how or if some of our members now could have answered those questions?
I will NOt be voting for Bill Russnak,What has he done? The changing supers, the whole Mel mess and Why would he vote No for Mel having his job back? II think it time for fresh ideas,
Peter has new ideas, I like that he is honest and genuine.Im sure his ideas might need to be tweaked but at least they are new ideas with a fresh mind. If we didn't have eyes in the auditorium,We would have never known he was 18. The comment at the end was humor Ad most of us were laughing..
Syosset school district which had a ranking much higher then Wantagh, they stood behind their youth and he was elected,now serving on the BOE and I'm sure he didn't pay taxes .
Sometimes too much experience builds the good old boys and monopolies are formed.:Gaining control becomes a priority .So NO discrimination here,Just when something doesn't work anymore then we need to replace it.

[Scout]

Lilly- You are absolutely not “experience discriminating”, you are “age discriminating”- and you really should not be so proud of it. I agree with “Lynch”, if you did not see Peter you never would have guessed his age. Peter was articulate, confident and knowledgeable. As a matter of fact, he was one of only three candidates who stayed on point and answered the actual questions posed (Ms. McLoughlin and Mr. Lang being the others).

As far as experience goes… Did Tony Greco have experience with school budgets when he took office last year? How about Michael Soethout the year before? Or Bill Russack or Ralph Spagnola their first year’s on the board? Of course they didn’t. And no one expected them to. The school board elections are structured to encourage new members. That is why at each election there will always be a minimum of three experienced members remaining on the board. New members bring ideas, enthusiasm and help limit cronyism and corruption. Seems more than a little strange to me (or like age discrimination) that Peter’s lack of school budget experience is the only one being questioned- how about Kera, Don, Mike, etc...?

I also take exception with your petty “whippersnapper” comment. From the sound of the laughter in the room, it was received by the crowd with the humor Peter obviously intended. He was not claiming to be “invincible”. He was simply referring to the fact that since he is a recent graduate and college applicant, he more than any other candidate, knows exactly what this school district has to offer it’s students and what it is lacking.

Let’s not forget our school board represents our community, most especially our children. We should judge every candidate equally with an open mind and choose the candidate (regardless of age, sex,religion, etc…) who will put our children first.

[Chris_Wendt]

"Scout" obfuscated this discussion by providing the following disinformation:
"As far as experience goes… Did Tony Greco have experience with school budgets when he took office last year? How about Michael Soethout the year before? Or Bill Russack or Ralph Spagnola their first year’s on the board? Of course they didn’t. And no one expected them to."

One of the unfortunate reasons some people post anonymously is to be able to make untrue statements sound matter-of-factually legitimate to suit some hidden purpose.

Refuting these untruths, from the top:

Tony Greco served on the BAC. I know this because I served with him, there.

Michael Soethout served on the BAC, was a member of the Finance Subcommittee and chaired the Advocacy Subcommittee. I know this because I served with him, there. Michael also had directly relevant work experience with the State Legislature in Albany. Additionally, Michael was active in the Wantagh Elementary PTA and served as their liaison with the Board of Education.

Bill Russack had served on the District Buildings and Grounds Committee, the District's Schools Technology Committee, the BAC (5 years) and as Chair of the BAC, and was a Class Parent at Wantagh Elementary School. Bill's pre-BoE experience was both broad-based and in-depth. Added to his on-Board experience, Bill is a valuable asset both to our school district and the community at-large.

Ralph Spagnolo was the Executive Director of the Wantagh Foundation for Educational Excellence for quite a few years prior to joining the Board. The Wantagh School District is the Lead Educational Agency (LEA) for the Foundation.

******************************************************************************************************

One thing can be stated with certainty: "You don't know what you don't know." To varying degrees, generally inversely proportional to one's age and life experiences, this statement holds true for all of us.

It is certainly valid and propitious to make preferential comparisons and to base your voting decisions among a group of seven candidates based on their individual levels of relevant experience, including having completed their own education and as to what degrees they have attained; having landed and held a job; having or even having completed a career; owning a home and having to make ends meet between expenses, taxes, and one's income; raising a family of your own and educating your own children, from being toddlers through their teens, putting them through college, and helping them with getting their own families started and settling into their own homes.

These are all "value points" respective of Wantagh's community values. I think the seven candidates can each be placed on a different point along the continuum of congruity with our community's value system. Voting choices can be made reasonably and rationally for two Trustees of the Board of Education with only a little more care and effort than if this election were only just another popularity contest or battle for some sort of mythical control among several vying factions.

Bill, Kera, and Ralph have all walked the walked, spent the hours, learned, participated, and gained invaluable understanding and experience in the life of our school district. The other people all seem nice, but they are not ready, not this year, not when you consider the entire candidate field.

****************************************************************************************************
Having only two votes to cast, I especially want to see Bill re-elected, and would very much hope to see Kera win the other seat.

Sincerely,

Chris Wendt

[Scout]

Mr. Wendt-

I take great offense in being called a liar with a hidden agenda. I too, simply choose to "refute untruths". I felt the need to post after Lilly not only misrepresented Peter's final comments, but admittedly "discriminated" against him. (Funny, you had no comment about that!) It is also my business if I choose to post anonymously, just like it is your option to state your name. Unlike you, I am not attacking anybody, quite the contrary. I am asking people to be balanced and fair.

As far as my statement regarding "experience with school board budgets", you and I are going to have to agree, to disagree. I for one, having been a member of the BAC, do not consider that "real budget experience". The BAC is a group of well intentioned members of the Wantagh community (when they are not bickering among themselves), create a list of recommendations for the BOE. The list is submitted to the BOE and then- completely disregarded. The BOE found the BAC so useful, that this year they choose to disband it. So you may consider recommendations the same as real life decisions, but I don't. I was not knocking Tony Greco or Michael Soethout. I voted for both of them. I was simply stating that "real budget experience" comes from actually sitting on the board. I accept the fact that people come to the board with varying backgrounds and experience. I commend and would never attack anybody that is willing to donate their time and talents to our district.

We all have are own criteria for what makes a good board member. But if you are going to persecute Peter for lack of "budget experience" then Kera and the other candidates who lack budget experience should be mentioned in the same breath. That's all I was saying. You have made clear that your "perfect board member" is college educated, 60 years old, paid off their house and who's children are out of college with families of their own. (Following your logic, people without children should not be allowed to teach.) Let's be clear though, these are not the prerequisites for being a member of the board. I for one am proud that Wantagh has a graduate that cares so much about his school and community that he has choosen to step up and take on this responsibility. I also welcome Peter's intellect, enthusiasm, creativity and youth. If you don't, then vote for someone else, as is your right.

[lilly]

scout, our paths have obviously crossed. While I respect your desire to remain anonymous on this board, I take issue with your claims of "persecuting Peter", "petty", "mistruths", "age discrimination and proud of it", etc. etc. etc People reading this message board only need to re-read my original statements for meaning. Please look for a PM from me in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

I agree with your characterization of the BAC (and have a few other choice observations about it).

I disagree that you knew what everyone in the audience's reaction was to Peter's closing remarks. You didn't speak for me. You could have easily said "my impression was _____" to keep the discussion constructive.

Anyone can consider a person's *life experience* or any criteria they see fit in evaluating candidates. Whether I am discriminating or not isn't even an applicable argument. It is my opinion that LI public school districts, including Wantagh, are at a critical juncture, largely due to financials, and the next few years will remain very tough, probably more so than now. So, it is ok to make an observation that at least one candidate seems to have budget acumen and had concrete examples to demonstrate that. For all I know, we have BOE trustees that don't know much of/read the proposed budgets. Being on the BOE doesn't guarantee each trustee does either. I stated my opinion and backed it up. You easily could have done that too.

[Chris_Wendt]

I handicap this race in my blog on Patch.

Check it out, think it over. It's your vote!

That's tomorrow!

Chris Wendt