8 candidates seek office on W-B school board

By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.comEducation Reporter

The Area School Board race this spring was abruptly and heavily tainted in April by corruption charges filed against current member Brian Dunn. Dunn, whose term expires this year, is not on the primary ballot. He and board member Mike McGinley could not run for re-election because changes in the law barred employees of the department of revenue from holding the office. Dunn lost his job the day he was charged with accepting money in exchange for jobs or contracts with the district.

District Superintendent Jeff Namey has testified before a federal grand jury, documents have been taken from the central office, several teachers were interviewed and the FBI has apparently notified one other board member to expect to be questioned. The affidavit in Dunn’s case that would likely explain much of what is going on has been sealed.

Amidst the mystery and turmoil, voters will get to pick among eight candidates to fill four seats. Two incumbents are seeking re-election - Lynn Evans and James Height – along with six others: Veteran Wilkes-Barre government activist Christine Katsock, optometrist Robert Corcoran, Dallas school teacher Harry Haas, former Wilkes-Barre Councilman and district teacher/administrator Phillip Latinski, and newcomers Thomas Malloy and Michael Desiderio.

All eight are cross-filed and will appear on both the Republican and Democratic ballots when voters head for the polls May 19.

Evans has long portrayed herself as an outsider even during her tenure on the board. When the corruption scandal broke, she expressed confidence in the district’s hiring policy but also noted she has never been involved in any deal making.

Height has denied any connection to the corruption probe. He also serves as the board’s representative on the joint operating committee that runs the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center, which serves five area districts. The Center has also been targeted by the FBI. Dunn has served on the JOC as well. Height is also the district’s representative of the joint board that runs the 12-district Luzerne Intermediate Unit.

Both Height and Evans said they are trying to get the district through the investigation ordeal.

Katsock has run for board once before, a well as Wilkes-Barre City Council, mayor, and state representative. She believes her years working as a taxpayer watchdog are an asset. “When I ran in 1999, I had my finger on the pulse of the problems that we’re seeing now,” she said. “It seems nepotism has come to the forefront, and that’s something I brought to light then.” Along with restoring integrity to the board, she said her top priority is fiscal responsibility and making sure the aging school buildings are safe.

Katsock and Malloy joined to announce their candidacies but are not running as a team. Malloy contends his job as a food broker gives him experience in the bidding process used for most big-ticket school district spending. He also has 16 years as a member of the Wyoming Valley Children’s Association board of directors, which he believes is a solid background in working with school children.

Malloy was endorsed by the Democratic committee along with Corcoran, Height, and Latinski, effectively making them a team, Latinski noted, adding that he believes the four of them share a similar philosophy on what needs to be done in the district.

Latinski has a resume long in education and politics, including 16 years on Wilkes-Barre City Council and 37 years as a teacher and administrator in the school district. He has also been active in coaching and coordinating children’s sports organizations. “I want to make sure that our curriculum continues to be progressive in preparing our students for their futures, whatever they decide to do,” he said, “and to focus on the wise spending of taxpayer dollars.”

Corcoran said his military experience of three years active duty in the Air Force and continued service in the " href=http://www.timesleader.com/search?searchterm=%22Air+National+Guard%22>Air National Guard, business experience, and two years teaching at a private academy in Texas that “follows the tradition of the Marine training” show he has a lot to offer despite this being his first foray into politics.

He said he decided to run before the corruption scandal emerged in part because of rumors of questionable practices. “I thought I’d try to join the board to keep the things I was hearing from actually happening. Unfortunately, they seem to have turned out to be true.” Corcoran said his top priority would be to set up a fair system of employment and “to spend smarter and not necessarily more.”

Haas, who graduated from Dallas School District in 1993 and teaches at the Middle School there, said he moved to Wilkes-Barre Area in 2002, and touted his relative newness to the district as a big plus. “I’m the only candidate who is the unconnected candidate. I don’t even have family in the city,” he said. “I’m the one candidate that can make unbiased, even-handed decisions. I’m not beholden to anyone.”

Haas said his top priority is a fair hiring process and to keep neighborhood schools open. “I think good schools are the foundation of a good city,” he said. “I think it’s imperative for voters to know how truly essential this election is.”