Wicomico GOP committee protests school board selection process

SALISBURY -- The Wicomico County Republican Central Committee is still upset that none of the nominees they sent to Gov. Martin O'Malley for a vacancy on the Board of Education were selected.

Dave Parker, chairman of the central committee, doesn't understand why and said the group is advocating for ways to cut state officials out of the process. The group released a statement with their complaints weeks after the most recent appointment of Kim Hudson.

"We don't think the governor of Maryland should be naming members to the Board of Education in Wicomico County," Parker said.

Hudson's appointment was announced Aug. 2, after she bypassed the committee and applied directly to the state. She was interviewed twice by officials from the Governor's Office of Appointments.

The spot on the seven-member board was vacated when Michelle Wright resigned earlier this year. Wright intended to serve her full five-year term through 2016, but said new financial disclosure requirements in the state's ethics law forced her to make a choice between her desire for public service and her family's right to privacy.

Following her resignation, the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee recommended Marc Kilmer, Ann Suthowski and Cathy Keim for the post in a letter sent to the governor in June, according to Parker. Whenever a Republican or Democrat is up for appointment to the BOE, suggestions are made by each party's central committee.

The Governor's office maintains it selected the best candidate -- regardless of political affiliation.

"First of all, we feel like Kim Hudson is very well qualified for the position," said Takirra Winfield, press secretary for O'Malley. "She is also a parent of children who are in the school system and in terms of openness and transparency, our office doesn't control the local process where names are submitted."

In addition to being a co-founder of Parents in Action, being involved in the PTA and advocating for school funding, Hudson works part-time at Salisbury University in the Perdue School of Business, providing reception services for the Franklin P. Perdue Museum of Business and Entrepreneurship. She also writes a free-lance column on parenting issues for The Daily Times.

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Winfield said the governor's office has allowed those people who aren't selected by the central committee or who wouldn't be eligible because they aren't affiliated with that political party to apply.

"Anybody in the state who feels they want to step up and serve can apply. That has always been the process and that will continue to be the process," Winfield said. "The governor didn't ask for any additional people and there was no shady back-and-forth process. We felt she was the most qualified for the job and that's all it is."

Even if the governor appointed the strongest candidate regardless of political party, Parker said the RCC wants to see a reduction of political pandering in the education system and more local control.

"The state controlling what the county does is really our issue, particularly in education," Parker said. "The last two years have been very frustrating."

Last year, Parker said he was equally upset with the process after the RCC nominated three Republicans to the BOE, two of whom were appointed. The problem, Parker said, lies in the fact they were interviewed and similarly nominated by the Wicomico County Democratic Central Committee.

While one may think a show of bipartisan support would be a good thing, Parker doesn't like that the DCC was allowed to interview registered Republicans.

"Asking Democrats to interview Republicans really seems to be out of line," Parker said.

One of the pathways Parker and others in the county have supported for removing the governor's input into Board of Education appointees is to move from an all-appointed school board to an elected one.

The Wicomico County Council has requested local members of the Maryland General Assembly introduce and support legislation to move to an all-elected board or a hybrid system in which some members would be elected and some would be appointed.

While the legislation has been introduced in previous sessions of the general assembly, it has never made its way to the governor's desk.

The legislation would not change the format immediately; it would give the Wicomico County Council a better idea of what county residents wanted for their Board of Education. If a majority of the voters indicate a desire for an elected school board, then the County Council would have to begin that process.

Because of a lack of success this year in getting the question on the ballot, the next time county residents could give their input would be during the 2014 gubernatorial elections.

Source: http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20120822/WIC01/208220378/1002/rss

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