LOWER POTTSGROVE >> Former Pottsgrove School Board member Robert Lindgren has returned to the board for a third time as the result of a 4-2 vote Wednesday.
Lindgren, who was appointed once and won an election once, was selected during the first round of voting by the school board to replace John Rossi, who resigned unexpectedly last month.
He was supported by school board President Rick Rabinowitz and members Patricia Grimm, Al Leach and Jim Lapic.
Board member Bill Parker voted for Darry Hendershot, another former board member, and board member Ashley Custer cast her vote for Scott Hutt.
No votes were cast for Charles Nippert, the retired chemical engineering professor from Widener University, who was the fourth and most loquacious person to apply.
Board members Diane Cherico and Vice President Matt Alexander were absent.
Leach started the voting by saying he felt the current board is “a young board” and could benefit by having someone of Lindgren’s experience.
Rabinwotiz agreed, saying it was a difficult decision and Grimm said she struggled with the choice because she also has great respect and affection for Hendershot.
She urged Hendershot to run in the next open election.
Rossi, who attended Wednesday’s meeting as a member of the audience, resigned April 12, citing personal reasons.
He was unopposed and elected in November to complete the two years left in the term of Kelley Crist, who he replaced in May 2014.
The votes were cast at the end of a two-hour special meeting Wednesday during which each of the four candidates was given an opportunity to make an opening statement.
They were then sequestered and each candidate in turn asked the same set of questions – roughly.
Those questions included their other involvement in the community, what they like and don’t like about the district, the biggest challenge facing each level of education, availability and role of a school board member and, rather uniquely, their opinions on the use of social media by school board members.
All four candidates seemed taken aback by that question, with Hutt saying board member use of social media should strive to be positive and Hendershot and Lindgren saying they don’t use it.
Nippert said he would be willing to learn if that’s what the board wanted.
“I prefer to have my conversations face to face,” said Lindren, in part because people will often post things on social media they would not say to your face. He nonetheless offered up a spirited constitutional defense of the platform as protected free speech.
This was the second time Lindgren, a former board member who served from 2003 to 2010, has sought re-appointment back to the board.
Lindgren’s most recent application to be appointed to the board came in 2013 for the seat opened by the resignation of Jodi Adams.
That appointment eventually went to Dee Gallion, who lost her seat in last year’s election. (Also among those applying for Adams’ seat in 2013 was Rossi, who was appointed a year later, and Leach, who now holds a seat on the board which he won in the November election.)
Lindgren resigned from the school board in 2010 when his U.S. navy Reserve unit was sent back to Afghanistan, where he had previously served.
He was immediately sworn in by Rabinowitz.
