Harrison Township BOE appoints Alexis Rubino to fill vacancy in 7-1 vote

The Harrison Township Board of Education voted 7-1 on Oct. 27, 2025, to appoint Alexis Rubino to a vacant seat on the board following a nomination made after executive session.

The board returned from closed session at 9:50 p.m., and Mr. Walter Bright moved to nominate Rubino; Mr. John Cavanaugh seconded the motion. The roll call vote was recorded as 7 in favor and 1 opposed; Mrs. Colleen Kendrick cast the only "No" vote. The minutes record the action as carried.

The nomination followed interviews conducted earlier in the meeting to fill the open seat. The minutes note that the board recessed into executive session at 8:22 p.m. and reconvened at 9:50 p.m. with the appointment announced immediately thereafter.

No public comment in the minutes indicates a formal swearing-in date; the minutes do record public comment earlier in the meeting in which a member of the public, Kelly Redkoles, expressed concern about the fairness of the vacancy process and alleged a candidate profited from bake-sale sales at school events. Alexis Rubino responded during public comment that "proceeds from all bake sales are donated back to the school" and that she "never profited from any bake sale." The minutes contain an inconsistent spelling of the appointee's surname later in the document (listed as "Rubio" at one point); this article uses the spelling shown in the public-comment section and flags the inconsistency in the audit.

The board did not list in the minutes any additional conditions attached to the appointment or a swearing-in time; the minutes state that the board will make subsequent administrative updates as appropriate.