Stuart Lyman, D.V.M., current president of the Bethlehem Central school board and Richard Svenson, a past president of the board, will not be running for re-election in May when their term runs out. Both veteran board members made their announcement at this week’s meeting of the school board.
For me, it was an evolution of 13 years, and serving on the school board is very dynamic, very exciting and stressful, said Lyman. `I came to the point, it was the appropriate time for me.`
Lyman has been a member of the Bethlehem board of education since 1994, serving 13 years. Svenson returned to the board in July 2001 after serving a three-year term from 1997 to 2000. Svenson has spent nine years on the board of education. Svenson and Lyman decided to announce their decision jointly at the last school board meeting on Wednesday, March 21, when they both came to the realization they each had made the same decision to not run.
`It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve this community,` said Svenson. `It’s been a lot of work and has had its ups and downs, but I like being involved in the community. I think people should consider community service.`
The time it takes to fulfill the duties of serving on the board is greater than ever before, and Svenson calculated that a school board member serves at least 300 hours annually. One of the biggest accomplishments under Lyman and Svenson’s direction was the hiring of Gregg Nolte as director of operations and management to handle the multi-year $100 million school construction project in the district.
`It was a big push of mine to have an engineer in charge,` Svenson said. `It has worked quite effectively.`
Lynne Lenhardt, another long-time member of the board, said Svenson and Lyman lifted the collective level of the board and its many accomplishments.
`They certainly have both contributed a great deal,` she said. `They have brought their unique abilities to the board.`
Lenhardt said it is becoming more difficult to find people who will spend their free time volunteering and becoming a member of the school board.
`You’re in a fish bowl, people are watching,` said Lenhardt. `Hopefully, we will have some people willing to serve.`
Nominating petitions for these two open seats on the 2007-08 Bethlehem Central board of education are now available from the school district clerk’s office at 90 Adams Place, Delmar, 12054.
The terms for seats currently held by Lyman and Svenson will expire on June 30. Each term of office is three years, beginning July 1.
`It serves no one well to come in with individual and personal agendas,` said Lyman, offering advice for prospective candidates. `This board has been very successful because they had no obstructionist issue.`
Svenson and Lyman both agree having new faces on the school board can be a positive experience for the community.
`It’s healthy to have change over a period of time,` said Svenson. `There should be some diversity on the board with members contributing different talents and points of view.`
Each nominating petition must contain a minimum of 118 valid signatures and must be filed with the district clerk by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 16, which is 30 days prior to the school district’s annual m ` budget vote – on Tuesday, May 15. The board of education elections occur at the same time as the district budget vote on the 15th of May.
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