School board candidates speak out during symposium

Published 7:22 am Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Six school board candidates agree on at least a couple of issues — securing finances for the district is key, as is communication among board members.

About 30 residents attended the American Association of University Women’s Voter’s Symposium Monday evening, during which candidates were asked questions about their background and goals if elected.

Candidates Aaron Keenan, Jeff Kritzer, Jeff Ollman and three incumbents Richard Lees, Mary Kleis and David Simonson will be on the ballot Nov. 3, vying for three seats on the board.

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Event facilitator and chair, moderator Evelyn Guentzel, asked questions, and audience members also submitted questions for the panel, many of which related to the budget and communications issues.

Ollman, a retired speech and language pathologist with the district, put it most bluntly.

“We are in dire straits here,” he said

“We need to pass it (the referendum),” he continued.

“Passing the referendum is going to be very important … to maintain our programs,” said Kleis, a first-term board member who serves on the Minnesota School Board Association board of directors.

“It’s important that we pass the referendum. There will be tough times ahead if we don’t,” said Keenan, health care administrator with Austin Medical Center.

Kritzer, an attorney and partner with Baudler, Baudler, Maus and Blahnik, LLP, discussed how his background suits him to work on the board’s budget.

“What I do know is finances… I do know business,” he said.

“We need to make sure we have the funding for these hard times,” said Simonson, a retired Austin Police Department lieutenant and five-term board member.

Fourteen-year board member Richard Lees, a probation officer and retired science teacher, did not reference the budget directly, but spoke about his disappointment with cuts. Specifically, he mentioned disapproval of activities, such as the prom, being taken away from special education students.

Another hot topic, fielded from the audience, was about how candidates would communicate with each other as board members. The question was preceded with comment of a Letter to the Editor, published in the Austin Post-Bulletin last week, written by school board member Kathy Green. The letter suggested several candidates may have conflicts of interest because they have family members who work for the district.

Ollman said he believes facets of the letter were inaccurate and that it was unfair.

“I think that it did a disservice to the school board election,” he said.

Lees also said it was inaccurate, and called it an attack.

“This is not the way to go about things,” he said, adding that the complaint should have been directed to Chairman Don Fox rather than the press.

Simonson did not talk about whether Green was ignoring procedure by writing the letter.

“I didn’t think that I was doing anything wrong,” he said of his decision to vote on teacher contract negotiations.

“I realize now that I made a mistake. I’m not always right,” he continued.

Kleis, who was not a target of the letter, explained that she thinks the board is healing from past rifts.

“I wouldn’t be running again if I didn’t think that we could work together,” she said.

Kritzer agreed.

“We’re human. We’re going to have conflict with one another,” he said, adding that calm discussions are important.

Another question from the audience was whether candidates know they will be able to make the time committment necessary.

Each member enthusiastically said yes, some saying they would be eager to fit it into their busy lives, and others saying they would be able to make it their full-time job.

Kritzer joked that his time management skills stem from his profession.

“It’s part of being an attorney. I bill my time. If I bill too much, my clients aren’t happy,” he said.

Kleis, a mother of two, said she would again make the board her career and full-time job.

“But, we do need diversity too,” she said, explaining that candidates fitting it in with another work schedule would be valued.

There is one more forum scheduled before the Nov. 3 election. The League of Women Voters Forum is Wednesday evening in the Austin City Chambers at 7 p.m. More about the candidates can be found in the Herald’s candidate profiles at https://www.austindailyherald.com/news/2009/sep/12/meet-your-school-board-candidates/.