Duane Dailey was named to fill the vacant seat on the Groveport Madison Board of Education.
The board appointed Dailey by a 3-1 vote at its March 12 meeting with board member Mary Tedrow casting the lone dissenting vote. Dailey was one of seven applicants for the position, which also included Darlene Bates, Peter Broeckel, Mark Cole, Brent Fridley, Dan Knode, and Larry Ricchi.
Superintendent Scott McKenzie praised all seven candidates.
"These folks all stepped forward and were happy to face the challenge of being a board member. We thank them and we appreciate their continued support," said McKenzie.
Added board member John Kershner about the selection process, "This is one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make as a board member."
Dailey, 65, takes over the seat vacated by Steven Slyh, who resigned on Feb. 13. Dailey will fulfill an unexpired term which runs to Dec. 31, 2009.
Slyh, who earlier this month indicated he wished to withdraw his resignation and maintained he was still a member of the board, did not appear at the March 12 meeting. Groveport Madison officials stated on March 5 that, based upon their legal review, Slyh’s resignation was valid and accepted by the board on Feb. 13. Therefore in the district’s opinion, Slyh was no longer a board member.
This is Dailey’s second stint on the board as last summer he was appointed to the same seat after board member Patti Froehlich resigned. Rather than run to keep this seat in last November’s election, Dailey chose to run for his own four year term and came in third out of a field of four for two open seats, failing to secure a spot on the board in that election.
A Madison Township resident, Dailey resides in the southern portion of the school district and has lived in the Groveport area since 1973. He is a 1959 graduate of Gahanna-Lincoln High School and had a successful 20 year career in the U.S. Navy attaining the rank of senior chief. He also was the self-employed owner operator of a freight transportation company for more than 20 years. He has served in various volunteer capacities in the Groveport Madison school district and community for many years. His three daughters graduated from Groveport Madison High School.
Dailey previously stated that one of the biggest issues he wants to address as a board member is to make sure the district is properly spending its money and controlling its budget. He said he also wants to make sure the board maintains the trust of the people in the district.
