Longtime school committee head re-elected

BANGOR – Despite a challenge for her leadership post, Martha Newman hung on Monday to the school committee chair she has held for the last 17 years.

Newman’s re-election to the committee’s top post followed a runoff between her and James Cox that resulted in a 3-3 tie vote, with members Christine Szal, Phyllis Shubert and Newman voting for Newman and members Dan Tremble, Jeffery Wahlstrom and Cox voting for Cox.

The committee’s seventh member – and potential tiebreaker – Phyllis Guerette was on her way back from a visit with her daughter in Ecuador and not expected to return until that evening. She did, however, send Superintendent Robert Ervin a letter expressing her support for Newman.

The impasse caused some confusion during the meeting because no one was sure how to address it.

City Clerk Patti Dubois said she did not think there was a provision in the city charter, which guides both the City Council and School Committee, for dealing with such events.

“This is bizarre,” said Councilor Susan Hawes, one of several council members who attended the meeting.

“So we have a 3-3 tie which presents a bit of a dilemma,” Ervin said, adding that he did not think it appropriate for him to preside over the meeting.

Tremble tried to offer a solution by nominating Szal, but Szal declined for what she termed “personal reasons.”

Cox said that he’d seen similar situations on other boards and that members “just continued voting” until a winner emerged.

“I’m confident that we six people can do it,” he said.

Szal thought the committee should recess its annual organizational meeting until Guerette’s return, but that did not occur.

With neither side willing to budge, Ervin called for a brief recess to allow members to caucus and try to find a way around the deadlock.

When they returned, it was clear that some tough negotiating had gone on.

Shubert offered to give up her long-held vice chairwomanship to Cox if Newman could remain in her post.

Newman won the post in a 4-2 vote, with Tremble and Wahlstrom casting the two opposing votes. Cox was elected vice chairman with little discussion.

In nominating Newman for the chair, Shubert acknowledged that some in the community had been calling for change on the school committee.

“I don’t believe in change for the sake of change. I believe in meaningful change,” Shubert said in nominating Newman for another year as chairwoman.

She said that in the ever-changing world of education, consistency of leadership was “imperative” to the School Department’s continued academic success.

“These are extremely complicated and difficult issues that require an extensive base of knowledge of the issues,” she said.

In nominating Cox, Wahlstrom said he saw change as healthy and noted that Cox had six years of experience under his belt.

“I think he’s certainly qualified to provide the level of leadership” needed to help Bangor students compete with their peers, both on a national and international level, he said.

After the vote, Newman said her priority for Bangor schools remains academic excellence.

“In my opinion, the only evaluation of any school committee that counts are academic outcomes for students,” Newman said after the meeting. “If the academic outcomes are excellent, then the school committee has done its job.”