Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: FRIDAY, July 1, 1994 TAG: 9407010057 SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Blacksburg resident also got some extra reading.
"They're sending me four crates of information," Edwards said Thursday. "I'll have a busy homework weekend."
The 56-year-old retired Army colonel's appointment to the District F seat takes effect today, along with that of fellow newcomer Peggy Arrington, 42, who will represent District G. The adjacent districts cover northwestern Blacksburg. The board also reappointed School Board Vice Chairman Bob Goncz.
In appointing Edwards and Arrington, the Board of Supervisors chose the applicants with the least experience and in-depth knowledge of School Board and county issues.
"I guess maybe I was a dark horse initially," Edwards said. "I'm just pleased I was selected."
But in both cases, supervisors Chairman Larry Linkous said, the appointees have other strengths that appealed to a majority on the seven-member board.
The Board of Supervisors will make just two more short-term School Board appointments next June, before county voters get their first chance to elect School Board members that November. Both Edwards and Arrington have said they're interested in running for their seats then.
What the supervisors liked in Edwards' case is decades of military and managerial experience.
"That vast experience and those organizational skills ought to be a plus for the School Board," said Supervisor Nick Rush.
"I think he brings a different perspective to the board because all of his experience has not been just public-school related or just academic," Linkous said. "He has enough of that to make him a good board member. He also has a lot of experience working with other people" across socioeconomic, political and regional lines.
Not everyone's pleased. B.J. Mullins, president of the Montgomery County Education Association, said she's heard this week from people concerned about the board's choice.
"A lot of people expressed dismay over the fact that this gentleman is not associated with education and does not have a background in education," Mullins said. "We want people who know about education running our school system."
The board chose Edwards on Monday over five other candidates, four of whom hold Ph.D.s and one who holds an Ed.D. The major contenders, according to interviews with several supervisors, were Edwards, Virginia Tech philosophy professor James C. Klagge and M. David Alexander, who served on the School Board a decade ago and pledged not to run in 1995.
"My board feels a colonel ranks higher than a Ph.D.," said Supervisor Jim Moore, a retired Tech professor who holds a doctorate.
Edwards, who is in charge of more than 300 rental properties for Raines Real Estate Inc. in Blacksburg, was the only candidate not affiliated with the university. The Weymouth, Mass., native retired from the Army in 1990 after 30 years, ranging from service in Vietnam to a stint as commandant of the Sergeant's Major Academy in Texas.
In the case of Arrington, appointed June 13, her plus was two years of volunteer work at Harding Elementary School, along with corporate and institutional experience. The Berea, Ky., native holds undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology.
The board chose Arrington over one other candidate, Wat Hopkins, a Tech professor and longtime observer of and participant in School Board-supervisors relations, particularly on the contentious budget issues.
The supervisors hashed out both appointments behind closed doors, as allowed by state law. When it came time to vote in open session, the board unanimously appointed both Arrington and Edwards.
But in executive session, board members said, neither Supervisor Joe Gorman nor Moore were able to muster majorities for Hopkins and Klagge.
Arrington got the nod June 13 when Gorman, who represents District G, could only bring Moore and Rush to Hopkins' support. That made Linkous, the chairman, the swing vote.
"I took into consideration phone calls," Linkous said Thursday. "I got a good number on Ms. Arrington. We had a case where we had two people, either one would have made a good board member."
In this week's appointment, for Linkous' district, the board took just a few minutes to reach consensus on Edwards, members said.
Aside from hitting the books to study up for his new job, Edwards said he'll be seeking out PTA representatives and other constituents in his district to learn their opinions and goals for the school system.
"I wish to meet with as many people as I possibly can," Edwards said. "I hope to be responsive and reflect, if you will, the people that I represent."
by CNB