Where were the residents of Campbell School District?

When only 35 people attend a public forum at which a member of the board of education is to be selected, what does that say about the school district? If it is the controversy-ridden Campbell School District, it says that residents have either given up trying to change the way business is conducted, or they just don't care. Either reason is troubling.
Why shouldn't the low turnout be viewed as public satisfaction with school system? Because the results of the November general election, in which two incumbent school board members were defeated, suggest otherwise.
But the apathy reflected in the poor attendance at Monday's open meeting will serve to embolden those officials of the school system who insist that only a small minority is unhappy with the way things are in Campbell.
We certainly don't believe that to be true, which is why we urged the board of education to publicly interview the candidates for the seat that became vacant following the Nov. 19 resignation of Ted Cougras. We argued that a public forum would not only give residents a chance to judge for themselves how each applicant fared, but it would lay to rest the rumors that a decision had already been made to appoint Beth Donofrio.
Discussion: Indeed, prior to the public forum, board member Dr. Walter Rusnak admitted to members of The Vindicator's editorial board that he had discussed Donofrio's appointment with people in the community, but he was unable to provide any names.
On the other hand, Rev. Daniel Rohan, who nominated Donofrio for the position, said he had not heard any rumors regarding her selection.
We applaud board members Rusnak, Rohan, Michael Tsikouris and Carmel Gerlick for agreeing to interview the six candidates in public. And even though Donofrio was ultimately selected on a 3-1 vote -- Gerlick had nominated William Lawson, one of the organizers of the Concerned Citizens for Campbell -- we believe that the school district will benefit from such openness.
Residents who could have attended the public forum but chose not to, did a disservice to the community. While the questions to each of the applicants were prepared by members of the board, a large turnout would have sent a strong message that the school system is of singular importance to Campbell.
A public show of force was also important because four of the five members of the board of education will be new. Rohan will be the only incumbent in January. Rusnak and Tsikouris lost in November and Gerlick chose not to seek re-election. In addition to Donofrio, the new members are Diana Petruska, Karen Repasky and Robert Dolan.