Barnett to Seek Seat on Mineola School Board

Mineola resident Artie Barnett has declared himself a candidate for the .

In an open letter circulated amongst residents of the and obtained by the Mineola Patch, Barnett formally threw his hat into the ring, citing his history of volunteerism, involvement with parent groups in the districts and experience as a FDNY union delegate on the negotiations committee.

“I’m retired, I’ve got nothing better to do,” Barnett said in jest in a telephone interview Thursday night, pledging to “not make this a dirty campaign.”

Last year board members had commented on the nature of several letters which were .

The board seats currently occupied by board president Christine Napolitano and John McGrath are up for election in the May 15 vote. Barnett stated in the letter that he “fully support(s)” Napolitano’s reelection as well as Terence Hale and William Hornberger, who were reelected in 2011.

“The community basically endorsed what they were doing,” Barnett said of Hale and Hornberger. “John , which to me means that he didn’t represent the community, so I’m running against him. I want to see it move forward. Chris, Terry, Will have got us moving in the right direction and I want to keep it moving that way.”

Candidates for the Mineola Board of Education cannot run for a specific seat, rather the top two candidates who receive the most votes would fill the seats.

“I think he lost touch with the community’s feelings because obviously they voted completely against ,” Barnett said, giving McGrath credit for his 15 years on the board.

Neither Napolitano or McGrath have formally declared their intention to seek another term on the board as of this date.

In an e-mail Friday morning, McGrath said that he “applaud(s) Mr. Barnett's entering his name as a candidate... as it will allow him to present his vision for the district and allow residents of the district to decide if his vision fits in with their own.”

McGrath went on to write that he has been “consistently disappointed that more of the district's community leaders have been unwilling to stand for election to this incredibly important position” and urged additional community leaders “to stand up and seek election to the Board this year and in the future.”

Regarding a reelection bid, McGrath wote that he has “yet to decide” on running for another term on the board. “However, either way I will let the community know at our next board meeting.”

Barnett stated that he wished to continue to its logical completion, ensuring that the district receives the “maximum savings out of it that we’re trying to get” as opposed to spending any savings. He added that the largest problem facing Mineola currently in his view is the outstanding teachers’ contract, which has been expired since July 2011 and the negotiations which have reportedly . Contracts for four of the district’s bargaining units .

“There’s going to have to be a concession on both sides and there’s going to have to bee a meeting of the minds on that,” Barnett said, admitting that he did not have the entire contract nor the full details of the negotiations made available to him. “There has to be a give-and-take, you can’t just be one side dig in your heals and the other side say ‘no’. Dragging these things out is not a good thing as it makes for bad blood. I’d much rather sit down and have very nice conversations with the teachers’ union, the board, the supervisors and if attorneys are involved, the attorneys.”