On July 11, the Guilderland school board held its annual organizational meeting of the board to elect the new president and vice president, as well as to swear in two new members.
At the meeting Richard Weisz and Barbara Fratterigo were both nominated for the office of board president and each offered brief statements before the vote.
I’d like to welcome after nine years of service on the board to step up to a leadership role, said Fraterrigo, who added that she would fall back upon her experience as president of the library board for four years to satisfy the requirements of board president.
Weisz, a commercial lawyer, was more specific in his remarks to the board and said, `I look upon the role of board president more of a facilitator.`
`I would hope the board would begin to have more of a role in shaping policy prospectively than reacting,` said Weisz, entering his seventh year on the board.
`I think the board is lucky to have two fine candidates,` said Weisz.
Clerk Linda Livingston would distribute the ballot and after collecting them from the board counted the ballots and Weisz won in a vote of 5 to 4.
Following the election, Weisz took the seat of president.
`First, I’d like to thank the board,` said Weisz, who then joked, `and offer my congratulations or condolences to Barbara, depending on how the year goes.`
Weisz’ first duty as president was to preside over the election of vice president.
Again, Fraterrigo was nominated for vice president, as was John Dornbush. Fraterrigo would again lose the vote 5 to 4.
Prior to the two votes two new board members were sworn in, Hy Dubowsky and Denise Eisele.
Eisele is a school nurse in a special education preschool in Guilderland. She has six children in the school system and has been involved in the district in a variety of ways, serving as PTA president, volunteering in the classroom, being part of the Building Cabinet and the Alternative Funding committee.
Dubowsky has two children currently in the school system and one that has graduated. He is a director with the state Department of Labor and Economic Development Services.
He has also served as an assistant controller for the state budget and a department director in New York City for finance counsel. He chaired the district’s Alternative Revenue committee and is active in Eagle Scouts and Twin Rivers Council.
The next scheduled meeting of the board of education is Aug. 15.“
