Published: May 18, 2008 09:04 pm            

EDUCATION: Four vie for three seat on Medina board

On Tuesday, residents in each of the county’s five school districts will take to the polls to choose who they would like to have as their Board of Education representatives.

In Medina, there are three three-year seats that are up for grabs and four candidates. Incumbents Carl Tuohey and Susanne Keryk are seeking re-election, while residents Rosalind Lind and Chris Keller are vying for a first term on the board. Outgoing member Carol Heiligenthaler has chosen not to run for re-election.

Each incumbent candidate expressed a desire to see projects through to completion that have been started while they were in office, and also a commitment to education and their community.

Susanne Keryk

“I like to finish things that I’ve started. It’s been a hard decision for me,” Keryk said about running for re-election. “I have a son that will be graduating in the next two years, and I’d like to spend more time with him before he graduates.”

Keryk said, with that in mind, she would like to see the district’s capital project finished. She has served nine years on the board thus far, and said education is extremely important to her.

For board members in particular, attending training and workshops are part of continued education. Last year, when the board voted against renewing its New York State School Board Association membership, Keryk fought to change the minds of her fellow members to no avail. In the upcoming budget, the membership is back, which will allow current and incoming members to meet and mingle with school boards from other districts around the state. It also gives access to pertinent information about topics that affect education.

“To me you have to be a lifelong learner ... and you do need to network with other board members,” Keryk said.

Carl Tuohey

Being a board member is more than continuous education, though. Tuohey said the board needs people who are open-minded and who bring ideas and solutions to the table, rather than problems.

Ten years ago, the late Don Kennedy, who was a fellow downtown merchant, asked Tuohey about running for the school board. Tuohey decided at that time he would run, and has been on the board ever since. His decision to run again this year is based firmly in the idea, like Keryk, that he would like to finish what he started.

“There are a couple of areas that are important right now that the school district is going through,” like contract negotiations and the current capital project, Tuohey said.

He also has several other ideas that he would like to see come to fruition in the next few years.

“I’ve got other ideas for keeping taxes down without sacrificing the education of the kids,” he said. Tuohey said the board has thoroughly gone over the budget the past two years, which is something that hasn’t happened in the past, and that some of the ideas he has for the future include cost-saving measures and sharing services between districts.

Overall, he hopes those elected to the board are open-minded individuals, “idea people” and make themselves accessible to the public.

“Not everybody is right all the time, so sometimes you’ve got to push for what you believe, and other times you have to go a different way,” Tuohey said.

Keryk and Tuohey are candidates who already have experience on the board. But Lind and Keller are fresh faces who may bring fresh ideas to their peers and the residents.

Rosalind Lind

Sharing many of the same sentiments as the incumbents, Lind, too, would like to see the board continue to be more accessible and share ideas. Continued education is also important, and she expressed pleasure in the board taking membership with NYSSBA once again.

“They need to take advantage of opportunities to make themselves stronger board members,” Lind said.

A woman with a serious interest in how Medina’s school board operates, Lind has been attending meetings and workshop sessions for the past couple of years, all the while learning more about the representatives and the way the board is run.

“I’m running because I’ve attended school board meetings for a couple of years and thought we could make some improvements in some areas and would like to help with that,” she said. “I think the board itself could be more alert.”

“In this case, you’re one of nine people who have to share a vision and work toward that vision,” she said.

Lind said she would bring experience with her if elected. She has served on various boards, both elected and volunteer, including time as a city council member in Kankakee, Ill., where she helped manage a public budget of $28 million.

Though Lind herself was raised in Medina, she went on to study history at Oberlin College and then received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University. If elected, she would be the only attorney on the board.

Chris Keller

As an educator and a parent of two young children, Keller said he and his wife have been happy with the school district. But now he wants to be more involved and is running for a seat on the board. His primary reason for running is because of his kids — his son, Chris, is in fifth grade, and his daughter, Bridget, is a second-grader.

“Education is a very high priority to me. I’m a teacher. I value education,” he said. Keller is a teacher in the Albion Middle School’s gifted and talented program. “What I hope to bring (to the board) is a commitment to education.”

Formerly an information systems manager for a corporation, Keller has a background in programming and statistics. He also served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army’s first infantry and was released from duty just prior to the first Gulf war.

Keller said he might have some insight into the school system, since he works in it every day and has done several things with Albion schools, including contract negotiations.

Going into the elections, he said one of the important things a board member should have is a love of education and of knowledge, as well as an open mind.

“I think an open mind, No. 1, because I think most people know two heads are better than one,” he said. “I think a respectful attitude because you’re going to disagree with people at times. Animosity is destructive.”

Elections in Medina will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Oak Orchard Elementary. At that time, residents will also vote on the proposed budget. Following are a list of people running for Board of Education in the other four county school districts.

Kendall

Candidates for the Kendall Board of Education are: John Cole, Edward Gaesser and Charles “Chuck” Patt. Voters will elect one member to the Board of Education for a five-year term beginning July 1 and expiring June 30, 2013. Voters must bring picture ID with them to participate in the budget and school board election. Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kendall Elementary School.

Holley

Residents will vote on three school board seats to fill the expired terms of Norman Knight, Robin Silvis and Eric Spencer. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve three-year terms beginning July 1. The school budget vote takes place from noon to 8 p.m. in the high school foyer.

Lyndonville

Candidates for the Lyndonville Board of Education are: Christina Feldman, Edward Urbanik and William C. Jurinich. They are running uncontested for three-year terms. The election will be held from 1 to 9 p.m. in the Middle School Library.

Albion

Four candidates running for two five-year term in Albion are: Robert L. Pinson, Margy Brown, Kenneth Bieber Jr. and incumbent Marie Snyder. Fran Lissow has served 10 years on the board and will not be running again. Elections will take place from noon to 8 p.m. in the elementary school conference room A.

        

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