Six members of the School Committee voted for a seventh in a fair process. The most experienced candidate for the one-year seat, Paul Schlichtman, drew four votes and won. That was the right choice, in my view.
But that’s far from the only story from those two hours on Thursday, May 3. Here are some others (you may have your own, and you’re welcome to comment at the link on the main page):
— Politically, the push to participate in Arlington counters national cynicism that leads to public malaise. Here, people *want* to take part.
Not only did Arlington have the most candidates for the town election since 1993, six of them for School Committee, but seven applied to hold a school office for a single year (two dropped out). Two of the five interviewed lost in the town election and were willing to try again. One of them, James Flanagan, who received one vote May 3, made clear he will run next spring.
We should all applaud those willing to do the thankless work of the School Committee, featuring long hours, endless detail and parents who want what is best for their children but who can make volunteer committee members targets.
— Another Volunteer: James O’Conor, assistant Town Meeting moderator, ventured over from Town Hall on his “night off” and kept track of the timer. He noted those who spoke too long and docked those who went over, activating a sound similar to that of a cuckoo. Few brought out the bird.
— Community relations: Leba Heigham asked for specific ideas that would aid connections to the community, two candidates responded:
* Andrew O’Brien suggested a policy requiring committee members to respond to emails the public sends them; and
* Len Kardon said Superintendent Bodie might provide more detail in her newsletter. “People don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
— Thielman drilled down on a similar theme and asked how a prospective member would handle a situation of parents of a learning-disabled child were unsatisfied with how an issue with their child was handled. Kardon’s response addressed the broader picture. As the parent of a special-education student, he said attention needs to focus on selecting a new director of special education.
He said the former director, Mark Ryder, who he said the administration held in high esteem, was lauded for reducing out-of-district placements and encouraged writing vague individual education plans.
— Opportunity knocks: Next spring, two incumbent committee members will face reelection for three-year seats — Jud Pierce and Allison-Ampe. Schlichtman’s term will expired, and another one-year will be open, to complete the term of Joseph Curro Jr. when left following his election as a selectman.
Flanagan, who expects to run for one of the openings, answered questions in ways that balanced his management background with a call that one of the committee’s jobs is keep the superintendent accountable.
— Tradition: Asked what should change, O’Brien provided an enduring image. He held up a worn copy of “English Grammar & Composition,” urging a return to the basics of composition.
— The election process was even-handed: Kirsi Allison-Ampe, the chair, made clear there had been no discussion with any of the five who were interviewed and no one was recruited. She said she knew two of the five but did not say who they were. She also asked all five whether they would run again.
Proving Emerson’s aphorism that “a foolish consistency is a hobgoblin of little minds,” she voted for Schlichtman after saying she preferred the candidates not run next spring.
— Conspiracy theorists who look askance at the committee’s electing a former member should temper their paranoia: Only one current member, Thielman, served with Schlichtman, between 2003 and 2007. The other three who voted for him were elected since then.
