Before the Solon School Board Forum

Tonight will be the only forum in which six men and women running for two seats on the Solon School Board appear together in public and answer questions.

The forum begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Palmer House Stable, a small venue donated for the event. The forum is co-sponsored by the Solon Education Association and the Solon Parent Teacher Organization.

Last night I spent 90 minutes reading the responses to the questionnaire I sent to all six candidates. On the top of our lists, in alphabetical order, are Carlos Ortega (NP), Seth Wear (D), and Jami Wolf (R). On the bottom, also in alphabetical order, are Adam Haluska (R), Lauren O’Neil (NP), and Jennifer Stahle (R).

In alphabetical order, here is one sentence why the candidates were ranked as they are:

Haluska: The incumbent is not convinced a major change is needed on the board.

O’Neil: Her spouse is running for Solon City Council on Nov. 5 and she didn’t mention it or clarify how conflicts of interest between the city and school board would be resolved if both were elected.

Ortega: He recognized the need for diversity and better communication in the district and teaches at Kirkwood Community College.

Stahle: She was the only candidate that did not answer my email questions, referring me to the forum tonight and this week’s candidate comparison in the newspaper.

Wear: He recognized the rift between staff and the administration and would like to “begin to rebuild that trust and openness with the staff that is currently lacking.”

Wolf: She recognized the need for diversity in thought and perspective on the board, for better communication in the district, and has worked in the district previously while currently volunteering.

There is more to the story than one sentence. I want to emphasize that all six candidates have qualifications that would be important on the school board. This is a low-information, low-turnout election and what I received ahead of the forum from each candidate is an important part of how we ranked them. Tonight’s forum and the questionnaire expected in Thursday’s Solon Economist should enable us to finalize for whom we will vote.

Thanks for reading. To view the series of posts, click on this link to the tag 2019 SSB Election.