FeedsWollack won’t seek term on Northville school board
Staff Writer
There will be a new face on the Northville School Board this year.
Three contenders and one incumbent have lined up to compete for two open seats on the Northville School Board this November.
Joan Wadsworth, current Board President, will seek reelection with contenders Jacob Espinoza, Dottie Garrity and Carol Grimmer. Fellow board member Judith Wollack is also up for reelection but has opted out of the four-man race.
Wadsworth, a Northville resident, has served as board president since 1993. She said that although working for the community could be challenging, it was also incredibly rewarding, and she looked forward to rejoining her colleagues for another four years.
“I’m very enthusiastic about it,” Wadsworth said. “It’s just been great to be associated with such a great group of folks. Certainly we have some challenges, but it’s very rewarding to be part of that, and I hope to continue.”
First time contender Dottie Garrity, a Northville Township resident, is a stay at home mother with a background in office management. Garrity said that she thinks the board should make a greater effort to utilize their resource of residents, and resolve teacher negotiations to ensure a smooth running team.
“I believe that in order to have the right to criticize, one must be willing to step up and join the process,” Garrity said. “I do see challenges facing the school district, although I think we’re doing a great job. I think, of course, there are going to be budgetary constraints, and with new graduation requirements, we need to focus on those students who might not be reaching those requirements. Plus, I think we need to look at our teacher negotiations. We have great teachers that are giving us what we’ve asked for. It’s hard to have one segment of the team unhappy and still be successful. I think it’s time for administrators to keep the citizens in the loop of information, and they will be able to help navigate us through those challenges.”
Grimmer is a Northville Township resident and a registered nurse. The mother of nine lost her bid for school board trustee to incumbents Marilyn Price and Libby Smith in 2007 by a margin of 34 votes.
Espinoza, a Northville Township resident, is also a first time contender.
Sue Hillebrand, Northville Township Clerk, said that four candidates seemed like a lot of action for the volunteer 4-year positions.
“We’re a little new to the school board elections, but if all four run, I would say it’s pretty unusual,” Hillebrand said. “It’s not usually a wide field.”
School board elections typically take place in May with new members sworn-in in July. Last December the school board voted to move their elections to November, in order to split up election costs between the city and township.
To enter the race, candidates had to file a completed petition at Northville Township Hall with a minimum of 40 signatures or a non-refundable $100 filing fee. The deadline for filing was Aug. 12 at 4pm.
