A referendum to reduce the Town of Webb USFD Board of Education from seven people to five was passed as part of the 2011 school budget vote. And with that decision, according to Superintendent Rex Germer, brings the first contested race the school has seen in years, with three of the five seats being up for election. Kathleen A. Nahor, who is running for the remainder of one five-year term from May 15, 2012 until June 30, 2014, is the only candidate running unopposed. Town of Webb faculty member Ronald Smith will be running against current BOE board member, Joseph Phaneuf for a five year term that will begin on July 1, 2012.
Also running are appointed board member Sharon Evans who took a seat in December 2011 following a board vacancy. She is being challenged by Clayton Luce for the remainder of one five-year term running from May 15, 2012 until June 30, 2016.
The TOW UFSD Board of Education election will take place on May 15 in the school gymnasium between the hours of 2 and 9 p.m.
“Whatever their vote may be, we encourage everyone to exercise their right and get out and vote,” Superintendent Germer said.Town of Webb UFSD BOE Candidate Sharon Evans
Sharon Evans, a 23-year Town of Webb resident, will be running against Clayton Luce in the May 15th Town of Webb School Board of Education election.
She was appointed to the BOE last December after an application and interview process, following a vacancy on the board.
Sharon, whose husband Jeff is an Eagle Bay native, is the mother of two Town of Webb School students and is lead accountant with VerDack Accounting.
She holds a degree in accounting as well as a degree in hotel and restaurant management and believes in what she calls, “lifelong learning.”
“Staying on the Board of Education allows me to ensure that the TOW students have opportunities to continue their education just as I did-should they choose to,” she said.
If elected, she said she would like to continue the process of becoming a certified NYS school board member and would also like to help the board continue to prioritize, research, and follow through on their decisions as they relate to the education of the student body.
“My husband and I believe in being an integral part of raising our children. Because the school system plays such a large part in raising the children of the community— including our own—being a constructive part of the educational decision has been a long term goal of mine,” she said.
Town of Webb UFSD BOE Candidate Clayton Luce
Clayton Luce will be running for a seat on the Town of Webb UFSD Board of Education to fill the remainder of the five-year term of Colin Clark.
He will be opposing Sharon Evans, who was appointed last fall to fill in the position until the May 15th election. The actual term runs through June 30, 2016.
Luce is a retired teacher at both the professional and high school levels who holds a Degree in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as a Degree in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University.
After raising four children in Connecticut, Luce and his wife retired to Old Forge in 2006.
“We fell in love with the area and we fell in love with the kids. We’d never seen kids like this in our entire lives before,” Luce said.
Since arriving in Old Forge, Luce has been an active member of the Kiwanis Club of the Central Adirondacks, often helping to lead youth adventure days.
He has also participated in the TOW UFSD Mentor Program for the past few years.
If elected, Luce hopes to work with the Board to continue to increase the level of transparency between the board, the taxpayers, and most importantly, the students.
“Whether on the ski slopes, or the Kiwanis youth adventure days, these young people have shown me that there is something special about growing up here. That something special originates in the families and is nourished in Kinderwood Preschool, the Polar Bear Ski Club, and the school system,” Luce said.
“I would be privileged to be able to help these same youths continue on their road to adulthood as a member of the Town of Webb School Board.”
NOTE: Profiles of candidates Joe Phaneuf and Ron Smith are scheduled to appear in next week’s Weekly Adirondack…
