CANFIELD SCHOOLS Ousted coach will run for board seat

The ex-coach says he doesn't have a vendetta against the school board members.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- A former high school baseball coach will run for a spot on the school board that recently decided not to include him on next year's coaching staff.
Sam Pitzulo, 42, of Majestic Court, is among nine people who filed petitions last week to run for three spots on the Canfield Board of Education. The three candidates who receive the most votes in the Nov. 6 general election will each win a four-year term.
Pitzulo had served as junior varsity baseball coach at Canfield High School for the past five years. In July, the board voted 4-1 to hire a coaching staff that does not include Pitzulo for next year.
Criticized move: Several local residents criticized the board for not including Pitzulo on the staff.
Superintendent Douglas Hiscox said he wouldn't discuss specific candidates for the board. He said it's "nice to see nine people step up and want to serve the school district."
Pitzulo said he doesn't have a vendetta against the current board members. He said he believes, however, that the board approves some resolutions without considering how those resolutions may affect students and parents in the district. He would not discuss the specific resolutions he believes should have been given more consideration.
Pitzulo added that he believes the current board members shouldn't hold grudges against him because of the controversy over the baseball staff. If he is elected, those grudges could hurt the students and parents in the district, he said.
"If they hold a grudge, it's a mistake on their part," he said.
The only board member who did not vote for the new staff was Anne Davis, whose term expires in December. The terms of board members Mark Squicquero and Patricia Hura also expire in December.
Only Squicquero, of Findlay Avenue, is running for re-election.
Davis, who said she's not running for re-election because of health reasons, has said she has concerns about how Pitzulo was treated by the board. She said, however, that she encouraged Pitzulo to run because she believes he's "truly passionate and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in."
Davis also said she supported the candidacy of Robert C. McClusky of Augusta Hills Court and John E. Davis of Lakhani Lane.
Other local residents running for a spot on the board are Lynne Bellish of Barbcliff Lane, Bruce R. Kirkland of Skyline Drive, David J. Moore of Storybrook Lane, Nicholas Maiorana of Queens Lane, and Bruce Brocker of Tippecanoe Place.
hill@vindy.com