Schools

Lehman Fills Melrose School Committee Vacancy

The erstwhile School Committee member was sworn into office on Thursday morning, filling the vacancy left by the departure of J.D. LaRock.

Don Lehman rejoined the Melrose School Committee on Thursday morning, when Melrose City Clerk Mary Rita O'Shea swore him in at .

The former and once-again committee member fills the vacancy left by J.D. LaRock, who to accept a job offer in Paris.

According to the Melrose city charter, Lehman was next in line to fill the vacancy created by LaRock’s departure, having receiving the highest number of votes of committee candidates who were not elected. In 2009, committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis bested Lehman by 56 votes for the last of the three seats up for grabs on the committee.

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Because , Lehman will serve on the committee until the city election two years from now. 

Lehman previously said that he was leaning towards taking up the position again, but hadn't committed yet. In a phone interview on Thursday, he told Melrose Patch that he is "glad to be back," after discussing the decision with his family.

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"I understand it is a commitment, and that’s why I wanted to give it full consideration before signing up officially," he said. "There was no one thing that put me over or anything like that. Just looking at my life schedule and making sure I can fit it in and give it the appropriate attention."

Commitee Chairwoman Margaret Driscoll said that a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony will be held at the next School Committee meeting, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 27.

Driscoll said the committee welcomes back Lehman, noting his experience and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a committee member. She added that Lehman has children in the Melrose Public Schools, giving him first-hand knowledge of the parent experience, and undertakes "a lot" of volunteer work in support of Melrose children.

"He has a wide variety of experiences that lend themselves to informing good decisions I’m confident that he’ll make," she said. "Each person brings different experiences. I’m confident that he’ll be thoughtful and professional and we couldn’t ask for more than that."


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