Nazareth school board member Mike Woodland resigns, attorney sought to fill vacancy

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Nazareth Area School Board member Michael Woodland resigned Monday before he even attended his first board meeting. And finding his replacement has already caused a rift on the board.

Woodland was one of five candidates interviewed to fill Thomas Maher’s four-year seat. Maher died in November days before he was set to be sworn in for his latest term.

District Superintendent Victor Lesky said he received Woodland’s resignation letter Monday.
Woodland said today he had to quit due to an unforeseen family medical matter.


Woodland said he decided to resign now rather than serve for a few months since there is a pool of other candidates from which to choose his replacement.

Woodland will remain on the technology committee and district’s advisory committee.

“It was incredibly disappointing from my end that we had to go in this direction,” Woodland said. “The fact that I can still stay part of those (committees), I feel some solace. I want to continue to do what I can for the community and what I can for the district."

School directors must fill the vacancy within 30 days.

At Monday’s school board meeting, board member Linda McDonald nominated attorney Robert Pinel to fill the vacancy. He was interviewed for the slot earlier this month. Only three board members agreed with McDonald, with Chris Miller dissenting, Darrell Crook abstaining and two members absent.

The board directed Lesky to contact Pinel to make sure he is still interested in the slot, but Miller asked why the board wouldn’t contact all the recently interviewed candidates instead of nominating only one of them.

Hayden Phillips, a member of the taxpayer watchdog group Concerned Citizens of Nazareth Area School District, previously applied for the slot and said he is still interested in the vacancy.

Phillips questioned why the district is contacting Pinel and not the other candidates who were interested in the seat. The candidates include Phillips, Pinel, Colleen S. Vought and Robert A. Pruznik.

Phillips also questioned whether the board is naming Woodland’s successor in a “fair and open” nomination process.

“To me, it sounds like it is canned. They have already decided on Mr. Pinel,” Phillips said. “I feel that that chain of events leads one to believe that Mr. Pinel has been decided on before a public nomination process and vote."

Nazareth Area School District solicitor Gary Brienza did not return a phone call for further comment on the selection process, but did say during Monday’s meeting the board could nominate one of the candidates interviewed earlier this month.

Lesky said the board is only considering Pinel and he won’t contact other potential school board candidates until he is directed to do so by the board.

"I was directed by the board to contact Mr. Pinel and determine his interest in the position and report that interest back to the Board on Monday. I plan on doing just that and then taking any other direction I may get from the board after the Jan. 30 meeting," Lesky said.

Pinel, Vought and Pruznik did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2012/01/school_board_member_mike_woodl.html