This past April, there wasn't many elected positions on the ballot in Franklin. Locally, it was just the Municipal Judge and two School Board members in the Franklin Public School District. Even with that in mind, last April's election was no different from School Board elections going back to just after the 2007 referendum. This time around, incumbents Mary Karolewicz and School Board Vice President Jim Ward both decided to not run again for their elected positions.
Their decisions were significant, since the two additional seats provided a means for two new members to take their spots. Since David Works and Linda Witkowski took the seats of Sue Huhn and Scott Bauer in 2008, this paved the way for the School Board to consist of a majority of "new blood". With that said, the 2009 elections equaled victory for Franklin blogger Janet Evans and Judith Bialk. However, even with 4 "fresh" members on the School Board, some residents felt it was simply "more of the same" in terms of how the School Board votes.
Regardless of voting practice, it is undeniable that the 2007 referendum failure caused some on the School Board to perhaps rethink their position, and thus open the doors for different leadership. 4 new members out of 7 still equals out to a different mix of ideas and concepts, since the new members bring forth different backgrounds and philosophies on issues.
As the April, 2010 elections approach us, we're now also aware of School Board President Dave Szychlinski's decision to step down from the board when his term expires. That means as of May, 2010 there will be at a minimum 5 "new" members on the School Board; 5 members who took their elected positions since 2008. Looking around at neighboring suburbs, the Franklin Public School District remains alone in terms of so many incumbent members stepping aside for fresh faces. That has had and will continue to have a significant impact on Franklin now and in the future.
TOP FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2009:
- Tom Reinke's abrupt disappearance from Robinwood
- Residents unite for an Aquatics Center
- Sendik's Fine Foods shuts its doors
- School Board incumbents continue to step aside
