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Dead Man Walking II
The surprise resignation of Penn Delco school board member Jim Haley sure changes things in the Mark Sereni Solicitor Sweepstakes.
Haley was one of the "yes" votes to oust Sereni as the district's lawyer last month when the board deadlocked at 4 to 4 to get rid of him. Board member (and no Sereni fan) Carol Cannon was on vacation. When she returned it was presumed that there would be a clear majority to dump the embattled solicitor.
But with Haley gone, the vote would remain 4 to 4.
Unless another board member changes their vote Sereni survives another month. And if the pro-Sereni forces can engineer the appointment of a new board member beholding to them, he could survive much, much longer.
What caused Haley to resign so suddenly is almost as much of a mystery as what caused him to vote to remove Sereni in the first place. We'll be looking into it
Where Penn Delco goes from here is anybody's guess. But it's hard to believe the district's anti-Sereni/Crego/Abrutyn forces are going to quietly accept another GOP stooge appointment.
Somehow, the GOP managed to slip stealth candidate Margie DiVito on to the board without her loyalties being known. (She revealed them when she took a shot at fellow board member Kim SanGorgio at last month's meeting and then voted to keep Sereni.)
Aston GOP leader and Sereni-supporter, Joe Possenti will have to be very clever with this next one.
In the meantime, Sereni has gotten a stay of execution, if not a downright reprieve.
UPDATE:
It seems things are as precarious as ever for Sereni. I understand he and Board president Dave Seitz are barely, if at all, speaking to one another.
Plus he can't count on Margie DiVito's vote the next time the measure is brought up.
Word is she's gone to ground since the last meeting and has failed to show up at more recent board functions. Given the fact that both her parents signed the petition to fire Sereni and that she had privately suggested low regard for him, her's is another vote he can't count on retaining.
If DiVito should fail to show up at the next meeting and Carol Cannon does (and all other votes stay the same) Sereni would be gone.
It's hard to see how he can survive with the board as fractured as it is and so many in the public demanding his head. Why he doesn't just resign remains a mystery to me.
Haley was one of the "yes" votes to oust Sereni as the district's lawyer last month when the board deadlocked at 4 to 4 to get rid of him. Board member (and no Sereni fan) Carol Cannon was on vacation. When she returned it was presumed that there would be a clear majority to dump the embattled solicitor.
But with Haley gone, the vote would remain 4 to 4.
Unless another board member changes their vote Sereni survives another month. And if the pro-Sereni forces can engineer the appointment of a new board member beholding to them, he could survive much, much longer.
What caused Haley to resign so suddenly is almost as much of a mystery as what caused him to vote to remove Sereni in the first place. We'll be looking into it
Where Penn Delco goes from here is anybody's guess. But it's hard to believe the district's anti-Sereni/Crego/Abrutyn forces are going to quietly accept another GOP stooge appointment.
Somehow, the GOP managed to slip stealth candidate Margie DiVito on to the board without her loyalties being known. (She revealed them when she took a shot at fellow board member Kim SanGorgio at last month's meeting and then voted to keep Sereni.)
Aston GOP leader and Sereni-supporter, Joe Possenti will have to be very clever with this next one.
In the meantime, Sereni has gotten a stay of execution, if not a downright reprieve.
UPDATE:
It seems things are as precarious as ever for Sereni. I understand he and Board president Dave Seitz are barely, if at all, speaking to one another.
Plus he can't count on Margie DiVito's vote the next time the measure is brought up.
Word is she's gone to ground since the last meeting and has failed to show up at more recent board functions. Given the fact that both her parents signed the petition to fire Sereni and that she had privately suggested low regard for him, her's is another vote he can't count on retaining.
If DiVito should fail to show up at the next meeting and Carol Cannon does (and all other votes stay the same) Sereni would be gone.
It's hard to see how he can survive with the board as fractured as it is and so many in the public demanding his head. Why he doesn't just resign remains a mystery to me.
posted by Spencerblog at
7:42 AM
11 Comments:
Can Possenti really be dumb enough to keep backing the same deceased equine? If Sereni isn’t flushed as quickly as possible Aston may start voting democrat.
Speaking of schools, I have a question and I'm wondering if anyone knows the answer. I live in Media, and a friend and I were looking at the list of teacher salaries on the school district's website. The salary for the Kindergarten teacher at Rose Tree Elementary is over $85,000. She has only been there for two years. Could that be true, or is it a typo? I have nothing against her, but I saw that some of the excellent teachers my children have had are making a lot less than she is, and they have been there considerably longer. Could this be accurate? -Jacqui
$85,000 for a Kindergarten teacher sounds inaccurate. That's more in line with what an assistant principal or a not very experienced principal would make.
Aston did vote for a Dem. He quickly changed to Republican and his daughter-in-law very shortly thereafter landed a spot on the school board.
Can I convince some Swarthmorians to move to Aston? We'll all vote for you. Can someone please lend us a few Democratic candidates?
LOL, the Sereni Sweepstakes, I get it. But Gil, its more like the Sereni circus version. Does Sereni really care about his name, integrity, and his practise? Its apparent the answer is no!
Mark, your the "talk of the town", and not a positive thing either, your the laughing stock of Delco, I hope you can live with what you've made for yourself. Every time I hear you speak, either at work, on the phone or out in public at the school board meetings, all I hear is Circus music. PLEASE stop before I need to find a new job.
A (use to be) faithful employee
Anyone ever heard of the old saying, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"? I have an awful feeling that Carol Cannon isn't going to be the savior everyone thinks she will be. I hope I'm wrong, but my gut tells me I'm not.
Wow, from what I hear...things are getting curiouser and curiouser!
I don't care if we have Republican or Democratic candidates; I would just like to get back to the democratic concept of 'the voice of people'. I want to know that my vote counts for something, and that positions in public offices aren't awarded based on political nepotism. No one speaks for us, and that is sad.
“Anonymous,” are we really to believe that in a community as intimate as ours and an office as small as Sereni’s, that you're (please note the spelling) an employee? I’m not just questioning whether or not you work for Sereni, but if you’re even educated enough to have a job in the first place.
Well now we have our School Board down to 7-seated members. Why is it that Brookhaven and Parkside do not have candidates to present for the board positions? What are they afraid of?
I'd love to know what is so special about Mr. Sereni that he can't be replaced. Why, for once, can't these board members listen to the outcry of the community and vote to removed him from this position? There are many qualified solicitors out there that could bring a fresh perspective to the Penn-Delco School District. He's been in this position way to long and has become buddy-buddy with way to many individuals within the political regime.
What is the hold this guy has on so many?
Unfortunately, the choices of lawyers living in the county who are experienced in school law is not that long...hoepfully the board grows a set and someone (not from the "establishment") steps forward to help right the ship. As a former Penn Delco resident, the people there deserve better. It is unfortunate that Brookhaven and Parkside and the Dems in the district do not get their acts together. Lets hope the folks up for election will hear the call of the community and do the right thing.
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