Plum Borough board interviews four candidates to fill vacancy; vote set for April 16 if no consensus

The Plum Borough School District Board of Directors held public interviews for four candidates to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former board member Kevin Adams.

Board President (name not specified in the public record) told the public the resignation was sent by Adams on March 15 and formally accepted by the board on March 25. Citing Pennsylvania law and PSBA guidance, the administration said the board had 30 days from receipt of the resignation email (received March 17, the first business day after the message) to make an appointment; otherwise Allegheny County may be asked to appoint a member to the seat.

Why it matters: The appointment fills an elected seat for the remainder of the term and, under the district’s timeline, the board expects to swear in an appointee at its April 16 meeting so the new member can participate in that night’s HTG facility presentation.

Board procedure and timeline Board leadership explained the interview process to the public: candidates were drawn by lot to determine the order (Mr. Feeney, Ms. Wetmore, Mr. Mota, Ms. Purcell), each candidate was allotted 15 minutes, and the board president alone would read a fixed list of six questions. Board members were not permitted to ask follow‑up questions; candidates were given 2 minutes 30 seconds for each answer with a 30‑second warning from staff.

The board asked members to stack‑rank their top two candidates at the end of the public session. If the board could not reach consensus that night, the district will invite top candidates back for a roll‑call vote at the April 16 meeting. Board members discussed the effect of absences or abstentions on the required majority; one board member (Mr. Calabrio) said in a subsequent email and in public comment that he intends to abstain, which would reduce the number of affirmative votes needed to appoint a candidate by one if that abstention is recorded at the roll call.

Candidates’ backgrounds and highlights - Mr. Feeney (candidate) emphasized a construction and facilities background, saying that experience would help the board evaluate multimillion‑dollar renovation projects and find cost savings without “cutting corners.” He told the board, “I want to affect change. I wanna actually help people of this community,” and said he would favor a tax increase over cutting programs if forced to choose.

- Ms. Wetmore (candidate) cited four years of prior board service and stressed experience with special education and facilities; she said she could step into the role quickly and relied on prior familiarity with district operations.

- Mr. Mota (candidate) described a long career in information technology and experience with large budgets, vendor negotiations and facility data centers.

- Ms. Purcell (candidate) described a career in K‑12 special education and building‑level coordination, saying she had run programs, written behavior plans and worked closely with outside agencies; she said her priority is to “put the kids in the forefront.”

Board comments and next steps Board members praised the professionalism of all four candidates but disagreed about whether the board should decide tonight or defer to a formal roll‑call vote on April 16. Several members said they preferred to meet again on April 16 if no clear majority emerged. The president confirmed that, if the board does not appoint someone within the required period, Allegheny County would be asked to appoint an interim member.

The board did not make a final appointment at the meeting. The next step is a scheduled roll‑call vote at the April 16 board meeting if no consensus can be reached beforehand.