Graffagnino won’t seek Board of Education re-election

Shelter Island Board of Education President Thomas Graffagnino will not seek re-election for another three-year term in May.

Monday night, following a budget workshop, he said that he will have served 12 years and thinks it’s time to move on to some other area of public service and, he hopes, to bring in young candidates to run for a board seat.

Two other incumbents — Mark Kanarvogel and Jason Lones — are running. Mr. Kanarvogel has been on the board for 11 years. Mr. Lones was appointed to the Board of Education last spring after Elizabeth Melichar announced she would not seek another term, but her announcement came after the vote, so the board selected Mr. Lones.

Candidates wanting to run for the board can begin picking up packages with petitions on March 21 and have a month to return them to the district clerk to ensure their names appear on the ballot.

In 2013, Mr. Graffagnino said he wouldn’t run for re-election, but then won the seat on a write-in vote and ran again in 2016.

He chose to move on, he said, because the district is stable, with a good superintendent and good business official in place. In past years, there were transitions in those posts that prompted him to continue, he said.

As for his future, he said he hasn’t fully decided but will continue to work for North Ferry and explore other opportunities for public service, perhaps in an elective position.

The election of Board of Education members takes place on May 21, the same time that registered voters act on the district’s proposed budget for the 2019-20 school year.

Full profiles of candidates will be provided in advance of that vote.