Already on the ballot for the Nov. election, Fox to replace Bob Knecht
By Stephanie Weaver, Correspondent, CoatesvilleTimes.com
CALN —The Coatesville Area School District Board of Education is back to a full compliment.
The Board of Education voted Sept. 28 to appoint Jim Fox, a resident of Sadsbury, to finish out the term of Bob Knecht, who resigned earlier this year, from among four candidates for the open position.
Fox, who will represent Region III (Sadsbury, East Fallowfield, Modena, West Caln and South Coatesville), will fill out the final two months remaining in the term. But Fox, who won a write-in race in May for the GOP nomination for a Region III seat, was not a unanimous choice — and his selection seemed to ruffle at least one board member: Dr. Tonya Thames Taylor, who expressed some concerns.
Taylor took issue with with a statement in Fox’s application letter that stated that he would take “a strong stand against frivolous spending.” According to Taylor, the board is very careful with their money. She also seemed bothered that Fox did not attend the meeting.
“It would have been nice to have had him at the meeting, but I welcome him onto the board,” Taylor said. “He is a qualified addition.”
Board President J. Neil Campbell was one of the majority of board members who voted in Fox’s favor. According to Campbell, Fox’s background is very strong and he is running unopposed on a ballot for a four-year term with the school board.
“The other three candidates would have only been on the board for two months and are not on the ballot for the four-year term,” Campbell said. “There is so much to learn when you first become a board member and in my experience, a two-month term is not long enough. You need to be on the board for at least a year to get a grip on things and these two months will give Jim Fox a head start.”
In addition to Fox, the board considered three other candidates: John Maffei from East Fallowfield, who garnered one vote from member Diane Brownfield; Jami Vernon from East Fallowfield, who was supported by Taylor and Jennifer Borneman, also from East Fallowfield, who received no board votes.
Fox will start his term on Oct. 11.
