INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two Sebastian residents and government employees are asking Gov. Rick Scott to consider them to fill the District 2 seat on the Indian River County School Board being vacated by Jeff Pegler.
Both say they have time to serve, despite their full-time job duties to the City of Sebastian and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. A third person, the barrier island resident who narrowly lost the election for the seat in 2010 plans to apply when she returns from vacation.
But whether the applicants seeking the gubernatorial appointment need to reside in the district the School Board seat represents remains unclear and depends on whom you ask.
Former Sebastian City Councilwoman Dale Simchick says residency is key to being considered for the nomination. She, currently, is the only applicant who lives in District 2, which represents the southern half of Sebastian, the Wabasso area and the northern portion of the barrier island.
In 2010, backed by the Indian River Neighborhood Association, Simchick came in second to Joe Flescher in a tight three-way primary for the District 2 seat on the Indian River Board of County Commissioners.
A spokesman in Gov. Scott’s office said it was his interpretation of the law that applicants must live in the district they wish to represent – but the state law he cited only speaks to elections, not appointments. Whether the rules are different for appointments, Gov. Scott spokesman John Tupps couldn’t say.
“Nobody seems to know,” said soon-to-file applicant Kimberly Keithahn, who came in second to Pegler in the August 2010 primary and in 2011 was redistricted out of the seat she ran for. “I just plan on filling out the application and letting the Governor sort it out.”
It’s a sentiment Sebastian Community Development Director and Airport Director Joe Griffin shares. Griffin lives north of County Road 512, in District 1, which is currently held by Fellsmere resident Karen Disney-Brombach.
“I’ll just let them make the decision,” Griffin said of the Governor’s office. He is of the belief that there is no residency requirement for appointments – only for elections.
The District 2 seat will be vacant as of this Friday, when Pegler’s resignation goes into effect. Pegler has accepted the job as Assistant General Counsel at Shriners Hospital for Children handling procurement and purchasing, necessitating his relocation across the state and vacation of his seat on the School Board.
Pegler’s term was meant to end in 2014, meaning his seat would remain without an elected representative for approximately 16 months. School Board members serve 4-year terms. Three seats will be open in 2014 District 1, District 2 and District 4, held by Carol Johnson.
Keithahn, no longer lives in the district Pegler represents since it was redrawn based upon the 2010 census. Instead, she’s 50 feet from the boundary.
“I can throw a rock” and hit the district, she said. She did not choose to run against Claudia Jimenez, who was up for re-election in 2012. Jimenez retained her seat without any opposition.
Both Simchick and Griffin say they are prepared to strike a balance between their full-time jobs and their School Board responsibilities should they be the one to be appointed.
“I have enough free time, it wouldn’t interfere,” Griffin said.
Simchick said she’s already spoken with Sheriff Deryl Loar, for whom she works, and he is supportive – as he was when she served on the Sebastian City Council. She has vacation days available if needed.
The applicants all have different ideas of how to make the most of their 16 months on the board – if appointed.
Griffin said he wants to take another look at the School Board’s decision to hire an out-of-county law firm to handle the School District’s legal dealings. He also wants to review the District’s financials and determine if there are economies of scale or other efficiencies the District could exploit.
“One thing I don’t want to be is a rubber stamp if I haven’t done my homework,” Griffin said.
Simchick is laying the groundwork now, in advance of the Governor’s appointment, calling on the School District to provide the latest budget information so she could be ready on Day One if she were selected.
“I’m not going there to start any new projects,” Simchick said, citing the truncated term she would be serving if chosen.
Keithahn said she wants to serve on the School Board to ensure education in Indian River County is elevated, not deteriorated. She said there is not enough focus on stretching students, pushing them to achieve.
Both Simchick and Keithahn have a student who attends a charter school. Simchick’s son attends Sebastian Charter Junior High and will be in the eighth grade this fall. Keithahn’s daughter is an incoming sophomore at Indian River Charter High.
They, along with Griffin, are proponents of the School District’s charter schools, which have had a tumultuous relationship with the Indian River County School District as a whole over the years.
Each of the applicants, including Keithahn, have a history of being involved in public education.
Keithahn ran for a seat on the Indian River County School Board and has been involved in various educationrelated groups. Simchick is currently serving as a member of Sebastian Charter Junior High’s School Board.
The current applicants all say they hope an appointment will be made sooner rather than later as the School Board is getting underway with its budgeting process ahead of voting on its property tax rate and will soon be dealing with contract negotiations.
