10/27/2009 9:30:02 AM

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By Kurt Nesbitt

Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

Questions linger among the six candidates for the Austin School Board about how board members should behave.

	What happened: Austin School Board candidates outlined their views Monday at a forum. Why it matters: Voters are asking questions about how the board members might handle issues and how they might interact with each other. The questions were posed in a letter-to-the-editor that stirred up controversy among board members. What's next: A candidate forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Austin City Council Chambers. It's sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The election is Nov. 3.

A letter to the editor of the Austin Post-Bulletin last week from board member Kathy Green sparked the continuing conversation over conduct Monday night at the candidates forum sponsored by the Austin chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Green's letter stated she thinks that board members Diana Wangsness, Dick Lees, David Simonson and candidate Jeff Ollman "could put the district in a position of compromise governance" if elected to the school board and that state law prohibits public officials from participating in contracts that "could possibly result in the district being without a quorum of voting board members to ratify a new teacher's contract with the (teacher's union)." She later said she erred in saying it would be without a quorum and instead should have said the board would have disinterested without conflict voting members.

Discussion over the letter came at the end of the forum after the candidates talked about a range of education issues.

Each candidate gave a different response when asked for a reaction to Green's letter.

Challenger Jeff Ollman repeated comments made earlier. He said he was disappointed and said he would contact Green and find out why she wrote the letter. He said the law only affects board members when contracts involve their spouses.

Board member David Simonson admitted he made a mistake when he voted on a contract that affected a group of 300 people -- one of whom was his wife, who will be retiring soon. He said he didn't know the law at the time and was told when he was first elected that he could sit on the board but would have to be careful how he voted.

Board member Mary Kleis said the letter didn't involve her but said the board "has to heal from the rift it had" years ago.

Challenger Jeff Kritzer said he has to "stop and think" about an issue before he makes a decision. He said conflict is inevitable and that the best way of dealing with it is to relax and think about it and diffuse the situation.

Challenger Aaron Keenan said he thinks communication is key and that disagreements are all right because different individuals are involved. How people disagree is key, and it "takes effort" to talk through issues.

Board member Richard Lees said the letter was "a surprise" and said the letter is "not the way to go about things."

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