The remaining four Directors, Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold, Pat Howard, Rich Halket, and Dawn Benson, had to decide whether to appoint Scannell's replacement or allow voters to choose in this November's election. This item was on the Agenda of the April 3, 2012 Board Meeting, which I attended.
Scannell requested the Board appoint his replacement in his resignation letter:
"As I stated last Tuesday (3/20/12) at our bi-monthly DSRSD Board meeting, it is my intention to step down as Director before my term ends in November so that the Board can appoint someone to fill the remainder of my term.
This is written notification that I'm resigning from the Board, effective immediately, today, March 24, 2012.
This decision was prompted by the desire to spend more quality time w/ my family and the realization that, after 12 years on the Board, it is someone else's tum to serve. I'm confident that the Board will find a highly qualified individual to fill this vacancy in short time.
In closing, it's been an honor to serve w/ you and the rest of the Directors, and I wish you the best in the future.
Please let staff know that I am very, very impressed w/ their ongoing work and have immensely enjoyed working with all of them as well.
Sincerely,
Dan Scannell
If Dan Scannell has someone in mind for his replacement he didn't say who in the letter. Since his seat is up for reelection this November, an appointment would be for six months at best and then the appointed replacement would have to run in the election to keep it.
Director Pat Howard asked me before the meeting which way I was leaning. I said I wanted it to go to an election. It didn't make sense to appoint someone now with six months to the November election, and it would give the appointee an advantage over other candidates. Howard said he's leaning that way too. Howard and Halket are both up for reelection this November.
Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold told me she prefers an appointment. Georgean likes the appointment process. She was appointed to the board twice, once back in the early 1990's and again to fill Tom Ford's seat in 2009.
Ironically Scannell, running as a reformer, unseated Georgean in the 2000 election, but in 2009 he voted to appoint Georgean back to the Board.
Tom Ford's term was a little more than half up when Georgean was appointed in 2009, but Scannell's has only six months remaining. Three of the four Directors felt the time was too short and voted to let the voters choose in November.
Georgean is an Accountant and tax season is her busy season. She is worried that taking over Scannell's committee assignments would add too much to each Director's workload, even for six months.
"Appointments are easy," she told me after the meeting. "We could appoint someone in six weeks." Once the others see how much extra work they would have, "They will be sorry they didn't make the appointment now," she said.
I asked Sue Stephenson, External Affairs Supervisor, who would be taking over Scannell's committee assignments and are alternates required to attend the meetings. Sue called back to tell me that Board President, Rich Halket, is deciding now who should take over Scannell's Committee assignments and this will be on the next meeting's agenda.
With four of them splitting up Scannell's committee assignments, each one might be put on one more committee and one more as Alternate. Alternates should not be present at committee meetings unless the regular member cannot attend.
