Letter to the editor peeves board members

WEBUTUCK — In a letter to the editor in last week’s Millerton News, Webutuck Superintendent of Schools Richard Johns, father of Landon Johns, who was recently promoted to the district’s head maintenance worker, attempted to dispell any notion that the appointment was a conflict of interest.

However, Board of Education members, particularly Joe Herald, took issue with the letter and expressed their concerns at Monday’s meeting.

The Webutuck Central School District created the first head maintenance worker position four years ago. That post was awarded to Aaron Howard.

At a board meeting last December, the board learned of Supervisor of Facilities Mark Lounsbury’s idea to promote one maintenance worker to a higher position.

The creation of the position was approved a month later.

"The board received a recommendation from [Business Administrator] Kevin Geoghan to hire Landon Johns at its March 5 board meeting. The board reviewed the recommendation at its March 12 board meeting and approved it at the March 19 meeting," Johns’ letter stated.

It wasn’t as simple as that, said Herald, who called the letter "misleading."

Herald, as well as board members Dale Culver and John Perotti, said in the past that they left the March 12 meeting thinking the next week’s meeting was strictly about the 2007-2008 budget and the matter would be tabled until the board’s April business meeting.

However, that vote did take place on March 19 and Landon Johns was made the head worker through a 4-3 vote.

Herald, Culver and Perotti, who voted against the recommendation, said they felt the vote was "pushed through."

"Nick, I had a question," Herald said, referring to the superintendent. "The way you wrote it, I disagreed with the inference I took with it. I wasn’t sure what your goal was."

"So the community feels there’s an even hand on the keel," Johns responded.

Geoghan, realizing that the superintendent’s son was up for promotion, immediately sought the advice of the board’s president, Bernadette Coniglio.

"My response was to ask the superintendent to talk directly to the president of the board and ask how to pursue it," he said, adding that the position was advertised in-house and two other people were considered for the position. "He did and that’s how it started."

"I guess some of us disagree ... I hope we can get over it," Coniglio added.

Johns explained that the goal of the letter is to notify the public that he "stepped aside from the table" when the personnel matter was discussed and that the issue was put under intense scrutiny.

"We stayed true to that path," he said.

Susan Lounsbury, the board’s vice-president, said Landon Johns has been treated poorly since he took the job two months ago.

"We need to put this to bed. He meets with harassment on a daily basis. The poor guy is being harassed about this whole thing. We’ve got to be able to move on here," she said.

"We agree to disagree," Coniglio added.

"I’ve never argued against that person," Herald said. "It’s the way we conducted business. I don’t know him from Adam. I take Kevin and Mark’s word that he’s a good worker."

Culver, asked to comment, said, "I don’t think you want to hear what I have to say."