Review editorial

November 5, 2008

By Administrator

Board appointment was thorough and open

Congratulations to Chad Magendanz, chosen last week by Issaquah School Board members to fill a board vacancy. 

The five applicants for the seat — left vacant by the resignation of Mike Winkler — were all outstanding. There wasn’t one in the bunch who would not have been a competent board member. Each brought a different background, but each would have been a positive addition to the five-member board. Issaquah is truly lucky to have such talent step up to volunteer for an arduous job.

Congratulations also to the four school board members who made the selection in a thorough, open and expeditious manner. 

The board interviewed the candidates in an open forum and welcomed questions from the public. A podcast of the interviews was posted on the district’s Web site. Twice, the board met in executive session to evaluate and discuss the choices, but kept the closed-door time to a minimum. After narrowing the field to the top two contenders, a special meeting was called to make the final decision, so the new board member could begin as soon as possible. The final vote was taken in public, with board members taking time to share the reasoning behind their ultimate choice.

The Issaquah School Board put to rest the arguments of those other government agencies who whine about the difficulty of making candidate choices in public. They respected the law that calls for a public decision and went out of their way to let the public in on the proceedings by using a podcast and public questions.

Bravo for a job well done!

 

Remember Veterans Day

Next Tuesday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day. We encourage you not to just think of the holiday as a three-day weekend. Although it has its roots in World War I, Americans continue to fight and die in service to their country today.

Consider the sacrifices that countless brave Americans have made over the past two centuries — the world is a better place because of their efforts.

If you know a veteran, make sure to thank them. It’s the least you can do.

Bookmark and Share

Comments

Got something to say?

Before you comment, please note:

  • These comments are moderated.
  • Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
  • Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
  • This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.