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Ron Wyatt elected chair of New Kent County School Board; board authorizes petition for November special election
Summary
At a special session, the New Kent County School Board elected Ron Wyatt chair in a 3–1 vote and unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a petition to the court to hold a special election this November to fill the District One vacancy created by the former chair's change of residency.
Ron Wyatt was elected chair of the New Kent County School Board in a roll-call vote during a special session, and the board voted unanimously to ask the court to schedule a special election this November to fill the District One vacancy.
The board opened nominations for chair and, after members cast roll-call votes, the clerk announced, "Having received a majority of the votes cast, Mr. Wyatt is elected chair of the New Kent County School Board." The chair election result was three votes for Wyatt and one vote for Helena Cunya.
Superintendent Dr. Nichols told the board the vacancy exists because the prior chair, Mr. Pagano, changed residency and therefore no longer met the requirement to reside in District One, creating an open seat. Dr. Nichols said the resolution before the board authorizes the school division's attorney to work with the court to organize the special election and noted that court timelines and local deadlines make the process complex.
A board member moved to approve the resolution authorizing the petition for a special election; the motion was seconded and the board voted aye by roll call: Ms. Davis, Mr. Rymer, Mr. Wyatt, Ms. Dombroski, and Ms. Cunya. The motion carried unanimously.
District 2 representative Mr. Cook, in board comments after the votes, said he remained "100% focused on fulfilling the duties and responsibilities I swore an oath to uphold," called for the board to meet and resolve any issues, and thanked Mr. Pagano for his service. Cook also addressed a contentious exchange at the previous meeting, saying Mr. Pagano's decision to step down was "completely and totally unrelated" to that incident.
Dr. Nichols said the board will follow its established processes for filling the interim seat and that eligible candidates may be considered under the 45-day appointment window or the special-election timetable set by the court. The board did not select an interim appointee during the special session.
The meeting adjourned following the comments.
