Five Candidates Step Forward To Fill Council Rock Board Vacancy

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Five candidates have stepped forward to fill a vacancy on the Council Rock School Board in Region 9.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Kristin Marcell who stepped down earlier this month to focus on her new job as state representative in the 178th legislative district.

While five candidates have stepped forward to fill the vacant seat, not all of them may qualify as residents in Region 9, which includes Wrightstown Township and voting districts one and two in Newtown Township.

Thursday was the deadline to submit letters of interest and resumes for the board opening.

“There may be some confusion because there are people who applied who do not live in Region 9,” said board member Yota Palli after briefly looking over the applications. “We need to make sure that the applicants qualify.”

With so many candidates stepping forward, board, members on Thursday night began a discussion about the process for interviewing candidates, which will take place publicly during a special meeting of the board on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

“If we have anything north of two or three prepare for a longer evening. It’s that simple,” said board president Ed Salamon.

The board is expected to continue its discussion at next week’s education committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Chancellor Center. The meeting is open to the public.

“We will carve out some time at the education committee meeting agenda to put down what we’re thinking,” said Salamon. “I venture to say that unless someone jumps off the page, we’re going to be talking to people for a while (at the Feb. 28 board meeting). I’m excited to see and meet the folks who are interested.”

In other news, Superintendent Dr. Andy Sanko announced the impending departure of interim business administrator Bob Reinhart.

Reinhart, who retired in 2019, stepped in as interim manager following the resignation of Jason Harris in 2020.

Anthony Rapp, who was appointed the director of business administration earlier this month, will be joining the district on Monday, Feb. 27, according to Sanko. He will be paid $179,900.

Rapp is a certified public accountant with an extensive background in governmental accounting, auditing, analysis and planning. Most recently he was an accountant with Briggs, Bunting and Doherty, a Philadelphia/based accounting firm that specializes in auditing services.