HEBRON | Four candidates will vie for the two at-large seats on the M.S.D. of Boone Township School Board.
Dave Molchan, 46, hopes to provide the best possible education for students. A heavy equipment operator, Molchan said he has budgeting experience that would help in his role of keeping an eye on the purse strings. Molchan would like to see more people attend School Board meetings and said he would lead by being a voice for the people.
Richard Bell, 60, is a two-term incumbent. He served eight years on the Town Board and is currently in his third year on the Redevelopment Commission. Bell said that service, plus his 35 years as a volunteer firefighter, qualifies him well for re-election. He said he can work well with other people and with town boards. He said he reads as much as he can and informs himself on issues before decisions are made.
With changes to school funding coming from recent changes to property tax laws, Bell said, it would be "wise to have somebody on the board who has been there."
Howard O'Connor, 50, wants to encourage greater public attendance at board meetings by changing meeting nights so they don't coincide with the Town Board's meeting time. If elected, he said he would work to keep spending in line with revenue income. He said he also would like to see more vocational education offerings.
O'Connor is a service technician for a retail store. His working with the public every day would help in bringing new ideas to the board, he said.
As chair of the properties committee at his church, he oversaw a number of building additions, he said.
Pete Blank, 44, a dentist in town, said he could help bring better communication between the schools on the one hand and the town's government and business community on the other.
Blank is president of the downtown beautification committee. Previously he served as president and vice president of the chamber of commerce, where he headed the scholarship committee. He has also served on school committees involved with building the new high school, Public Law 221 and selection of a new high school principal.
