Bethlehem Finance Director Appointed to S.V. School Board

On Tuesday, the Saucon Valley School Board appointed a Bethlehem official and district resident to fill a vacancy created with the resignation of board member Sharon Stack earlier this month.

Mark Sivak, who is Director of Budget and Finance for the City of Bethlehem, was nominated to fill the vacancy by board member Edward Inghrim.

"He has an excellent background in finance," Inghrim said of Sivak. 

"He was not on any ballot in May, or is not going to be—right now he is not on the ballot for the November election. I would like to support someone that is thus far not on the ballot," he added.

Board member Sandra Miller nominated Jeanne Reilly to fill the vacancy.

Reilly—along with six other candidates, including three incumbents—is running for election to one of four full-term school board seats in the November election.

A special election will be held to fill the seat now occupied by Sivak, since Stack's four-year term was not due to expire until December 2015.

Sivak did not publicly indicate at the meeting whether he is considering running for the two-year term in the November special election.

After being sworn in by board president Michael Karabin, he was seated on the board, but did not participate in voting because he has yet to complete a required statement of financial disclosure.

According to the Express-Times, in addition to Reilly, the other applicants for the vacant seat on the board were Janie A. Hecker, Robert Phillips, Eric Adams and Barbara Valladares.

Hecker was a candidate in the May primary election, but lost.

Phillips, who was also a primary candidate, is on the November ballot.

Karabin, Inghrim, Bryan Eichfeld, Charles Bartolet and Susan Baxter voted in favor of Sivak's appointment, while Miller and Lanita Lum voted against it.

Bartolet commented that he thought any of the applicants for the open seat "would be a very good representative on our board."

"I thank them for coming forward," he added.