A FULL SCHOOL BOARD

On three occasions over the last decade, the Bangor City Council has had a member leave unexpectedly, and each time the remaining members decided a full council was important enough to the operation of the city that a special election was warranted. That is understandable, and it is why the council should extend that same level of respect to the Bangor School Committee.

Unfortunately, the City Council rejected this week special elections proposed for March and for June to replace school committee member Dan Tremble, who was recently elected but found his service on the committee conflicted with a rule barring a member from having a spouse employed by the school system. He chose to step down. The City Council decisions, which delay the opportunity for the school committee to have a full seven members until November, come after the council also couldn’t work up enough interest to look into the circumstances surrounding the Tremble election.

As a result, the council gives the appearance of considering the valuable school committee as some lesser, optional board, where the question of whether it has six or seven members (when the council decided it could not operate when it had eight of nine members) is not important. Given the high level of performance of Bangor’s schools, this outlook is not helpful or accurate.

On a positive note, four of the city councilors – Frank Farrington, Geoffrey Gratwick, Richard Greene and Susan Hawes – supported the March special election. Interestingly, a majority would have been reached had Gerry Palmer, a councilor who won a special election and certainly considers the outcome of that vote legitimate, sided with the four. Mr. Palmer said the proposed election was a close call for him, as he weighed the value of a full board against the cost and low turnout of a special election.

But the cost, about $10,000, is minuscule compared with the scale of the decisions made by the school committee and turnout is a prerogative of voters. Interest in the school committee these days suggests turnout could be better than the 4 percent or 6 percent for City Council special elections.

This isn’t a matter of life or death, but the City Council would do well to treat the Bangor School Committee similarly to the way it treats itself. Another opportunity for the council to approve a special election is expected soon. It should muster a majority in support.