
A newcomer and a former school board member are contending to fill a short-term vacancy on the Board of Education.
The Board of Education interviewed the two – newcomer Dennis Hopkins and former board member Christine Danielsen – at a special meeting on September 17.
The unfinished three-month term occurred when former board member Michelle Shelton resigned after she moved out of the township.
Shelton’s term expires on December 31; her successor will not run in the November election, which features seven candidates for three available seats.
Hopkins, a dentist and retired Navy Captain, told the board that he would bring to bear the experience he gained in his 30 years of military service to help students and the board.
Danielsen, who chose not to run for re-election last year, said her six previous years on the board would give her the experience necessary to “hit the ground running” in the abbreviated term.
The board is expected to make a decision on who will fill Shelton’s seat at its Sept. 24 meeting.