Allan Weisel, Gary Sanderson appointed to lead board
PENNSBrRY - They come from opposite sides of the political aisle - one a LRwHU 0DNHfiHOG FRnsHUvative Republican and one a calls Township Democrat. Now they will govern together as the leaders of the nine-member Pennsbury School Board.
During Monday night’s reorganization meeting, the school board unanimously reappointed Republican Allan Weisel, a small business owner, as board president. The board also voted T-2 with Simon Campbell and Stephan hosmorsky voting no, to appoint calls Township Democrat Gary Sanderson, an environmental specialist, as vice president.
Sanderson replaces outspoken union critic and Republican Simon Campbell who has held the vice president’s position for the past year. Campbell, who said he made it known to a few of his “Republican colleagues” prior to Monday’s meeting that he would not seek the board’s vice presidency again, was displeased with the choice for his successor.
“I am extremely disappointed with the decision of Allan Weisel to promote a union-funded Democrat WR Dn RIfiFHU UROH Rn D RHpublican controlled school board,” Campbell wrote in an e-mail to the Advance Tuesday morning.
collowing the vote, Weisel read from a prepared statement.
“There are those among us who would like to turn my election as board president and Mr. Sanderson’s election to vice president into a partisan political issue. Our federal government has become hyperpolitical and may cause our entire country to go RYHU WKH fisFDO FOLII Ln OHss than four weeks. My opinion is that this type of deliberate divisiveness does not belong on the Pennsbury School Board.”
He continued, “I am an ideological conservative and my political leanings are Republican. That be- ing said, I am here not for my ideology or my political views, but for the betterment of this district. I have the ability to disagree with some of my fellow board members over sRPH YHUy GLIfiFuOW LssuHs that we will have to tackle this year, but also respectfully work together to arrive at decisions that are in the best interest of the district. The Pennsbury School District will not and should never go over a cliff.
“That is why I am not embarrassed to also say that I can support a board member for vice president who I do not always ideologically agree with, but respect as an individual with another point of view. I am on this board for the purpose of moving forward for the improvement RI WKH fisFDO DFFRunWDELOLWy of the district and ensuring the future of education of our almost 11,000 students in the face of many threats confronting public education.”
In his statement, Weisel also addressed some of the major issues facing the district in what he called a “tough year” ahead, including the closing of an elementary school, a decision about renovating district facilities and negotiations with the Pennsbury Education rnion (PEA) and the Pennsbury Educational Support Professionals Association (PESPA). The board president stressed the need to keep politics out of those issues, saying, “If we become partisan over these issues it will absolutely ensure that we will not be able to work for the common betterment of the Pennsbury School District.”
Campbell, though, accused Weisel of not prac- ticing what he had preached.
“It is clear that Weisel cut a deal with the unionfunded Democrats to get their vote for him as president in exchange for giving them the role of vice president,” Campbell wrote. “iocal political committees who conduct endorsements are inherently partisan organizations by nature. If Wesiel wishes to be non-partison then he should not seek a Republican endorsement in next year’s school board elections.”
Meanwhile, Sanderson, who had served previously as vice president, said after the meeting that “it’s a start of a good year hopefully.
“Certainly, I feel honored with the compliments of having the board majority put me in the position fiUsW RI DOO WR nRPLnDWH me and the trust that was granted to me to take the position,” he continued.
“This year will be a challenging year but I think the board on the whole has worked through a tough time and I think we are all going to cooperate and do what’s best for the students within the district,” Sanderson said.
He said the board has several priorities including facilities and the recommendations of the space utilization committee, which is discussing possible closure of some schools.
“We’re going to vote on it and implement whatever we vote on,” Sanderson said of the space utilization committee’s recommendations.
He said a third priority is two contracts and the outsourcing issue with regard to the support staff contract.
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