Cleary tabbed for SAD 29 seat

Paul Cleary
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The SAD 29 school board is now full again after the Houlton Town Council appointed Paul Cleary to the panel Monday evening.
    The council was charged with finding a replacement for board member Lisa Harvey, who resigned from the school board in January after she moved out of the town she was elected to represent. It is the responsibility of the municipal board to replace a school board member with an appointee that resides in that area. In this case, a candidate needed to be a registered voter from Houlton.
    Cleary, a former town councilor, was unanimously approved by the council to fill the vacant seat. Cleary ran for the school board in the November 2009 election, but was unsuccessful in his bid. He will fill the term, which expires in November.
    Three other residents — John Tribou, Carl Lord and Dr. Don Woods — also expressed interest in the vacant seat. Tribou and Woods attended Monday night’s meeting to answer any questions the council had for them.
    Neither Cleary, nor Lord attended Monday night’s meeting. Cleary sent a letter expressing his interest in serving on the school board. Council chairman Walter Goodrich read the letter to his fellow councilors.
    “I put my name in for school board because I want to stay involved in the community,” Goodrich read. “I will serve with the best interests of the citizens of Houlton in mind. I will serve with an open mind and do what is best for the students.”
    Woods said he was interested in helping the school district in any way he could. Woods said he brought a wealth of experience to the position as he was elected to the school board four times, having served a cumulative 14 years with the district.
    “I’m here, if I can be of any value, I have the experience,” he said.
    Tribou, the store manager for T.D. Bank in Houlton, said he has considered running for school board in the past, and since this position would only run until November, it would be a good opportunity to get a taste of how the board operates.
    “I’ve chosen to live in Houlton for the last 20 years,” Tribou said. “I dearly love this community and want to see it prosper. The school system is the lifeblood of the community. There are many challenges ahead for this system. In running the bank, I make many tough decisions every day, I am not afraid to gather the facts and make the best decision possible.”
    “We are very fortunate to have such good caliber people to select from,” councilor Nancy Ketch said. “So often we have a position to fill with just one person [to choose from]. Obviously, there is only one slot we can fill, so my hope is that those that don’t get in stay involved.”