Reluctant candidate will run again for school board

Incumbent Mark Kanarvogel will seek another three-year term on the Shelter Island Board of Education.

Within the last week, both Mr. Kanarvogel and board vice president Thomas Graffagnino were considering not running. Word is still out on Mr. Graffagnino’s decision.

Mr. Kanarvogel was first elected to the board in 2008 for a one-year term in a year that saw many incumbent board members turned out of office in favor of newcomers. That was the same election that resulted in the defeat of the district’s budget.

In 2009, Mr. Kanarvogel won a full three-year term, then last year he was the lowest vote-getter in a race to fill three seats. The two highest numbers of votes were cast for newcomer Marilynn Pysher and Board President Dr. Stephen Gessner. Mr. Kanarvogel won the right to complete the one-year left on Kim Reilly’s term. She had resigned from the board.

Last year’s vote forced Mr. Kanarvogel to run again this year if he wanted to remain on the school board.

The 58-year-old Mr. Kanarvogel is a retired  sheet metal mechanic whose wife Mary is the school district’s nurse.

Prior to his election, Mr. Kanarvogel was the Lions Club liaison to the school district for a dozen years.

When he ran last year, he said he supported the state-imposed 2 percent tax levy cap. But at the same time, he said he would “argue long and hard against the cap if it means cutting programs.”

The current school board is faced with a challenge to extend programs Superintendent Michael Hynes has said would improve the educational experience for students while finding at least $173,000 in cuts to its spending plan for the 2013-14 school year.