New board member brings youth, innovation to position

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

aluthern@vindy.com

(This is the first of a three-part series about new government officials in Boardman.)

Ten years ago, John Landers graduated from Boardman High School. This month, he will be sworn in as the newest member of the Boardman Board of Education.

“Traditionally, Boardman hasn’t really elected a younger person, so I think I bring a young point of view, which has value. I kind of know what the students are going through,” Landers said.

Landers won the November election, earning 5,598 votes while incumbent Niklaus Amstutz tallied 5,576.

“I made a point of not trying to target anyone during the election,” Landers said. “I ran very positive and said that all of the board members did a good job. I just felt that I had some ideas and I could bring a new voice to the board.”

Many of new board member’s ideas focus on technology and business.

“In the long term, I’d like to see Boardman teach things like innovation and business entrepreneurship, and take advantage of the Youngstown Business Incubator,” he said.

“That’s one idea I’ve had to push toward the future, and I think the board putting things like meeting minutes online, that would be good as well.”

Landers said he looks forward to acting as an intermediary between the public and the school district for issues like the change of the middle school band schedule.

“There are a lot of stakeholders in the district and everyone has an important voice to add. I think that by continually talking through the issues that people have brought up with the schedule, we can come to a resolution that may not be perfect, but that everyone can live with,” he said.

Landers has lived in the area for 24 years, but spent several years working for CGI Federal as a technology consultant in Fairfax, Va.

“While I liked the (Washington) D.C. area, it didn’t feel like home,” he said. “I missed my family and it’s cheesy, but Boardman is a nice place to call home.

“I wanted to give back to the community and I thought the school board was a good way to do that.”