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Guilford BOE Vacancy Application Due by Dec. 14

One of the first tasks for the Board of Education (BOE) in January will be to fill a vacant seat on the board. Current board member and now state senator-elect Christine Cohen (D-12) will be heading up to Hartford, so board members are soliciting applications and detailing the appointment process to prepare for her departure.

Cohen defeated Republican Adam Greenberg on Nov. 6 and will succeed current State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr. (D-12) in early January when the legislature is sworn in. Cohen has indicated she will step down from the BOE before she is sworn in to the State Senate, but has yet to formally submit a resignation.

Once Cohen submits her resignation, the board has 60 days to fill the seat, according to the town charter. The town charter also states that since Cohen was elected to the BOE as a member of a party, her replacement has to come from the same political party.

At the Dec. 10 BOE meeting, Chair Bill Bloss said the board has opted to solicit applications and interview candidates on its own rather than go through the Democratic Town Committee.

“We are inviting applications until this Friday, Dec. 14,” he said. “We ask for a résumé and a cover letter. I have already received quite a few, I think it’s already been about 10 applications, and a couple of people have said they would like to know more about what is involved.”

Bloss said those who are interested should also be aware that Cohen’s term on the BOE was set to expire in November 2019, so whoever is selected will only hold the seat for one year and then have to decide if he or she wants to run for the seat in 2019. He also said that while it would only be a 10-month appointment to start, it is a big commitment.

“It’s important to understand that to be done right, this is not a minimal commitment,” he said. “If people have questions about what being a board member entails or what our goals are, what we think about the future of public education in Guilford, what we expect some of the responsibilities might be, go ahead and call me or shoot me an email. I encourage people to apply. It’s a terrific way to serve and a terrific way to be involved in the community.”