Brooksville
Two new candidates vie for one Brooksville school board seat
Incumbent seeks reelection to her seat

By COLIN POWELL
There are two three-year seats open on the Brooksville School Board for the 2010 election. While Brad Jones is leaving his seat, incumbent Helen Condon has taken out papers for her seat again. Meanwhile, Dana Hooper has taken out papers for Jones’ seat. Jim Picariello, missing the deadline to take out papers by a few days, has announced he is running as a write-in candidate for Jones’ seat as well.

Helen Condon

Now running for reelection for a third term, Condon said in a recent interview that she did not take out papers until it was down to the wire. “With nobody running at the time, I said ‘What the heck,’” Condon explained. With no kids in the school and no agenda, Condon said she is just an outsider with an interest in the town. “I lived here practically all my life,” she said.

Working at TradeWinds Market Place for the past seven years, Condon said of the high per-student costs in Brooksville that budgeting will continue to be a challenge, especially with the state’s consolidation penalties and cuts in state subsidy. “We’ve just got to try to keep it down,” Condon said, noting that education of the kids still has to come first.

Condon thinks Union 93 would be well served to take another look at cooperating with Union 76 to find potential cost savings. While she noted that such efforts have been made in the past, it always helps to have different eyes looking at it.

“I’m excited,” Condon said of having Mark Hurvitt return as superintendent. She was on the board when Hurvitt was new to both superintendent work and Union 93 when he last worked in the area. With his return to the position, she hopes his knowledge of the area, the fact that he lives in Blue Hill and his having experience being an administrator elsewhere will bring some fresh ideas to the central office.

Asked about goals she has for the school, Condon said it is important to be impartial as a school board member. “You can’t go in with your own agenda,” she said. “You’ve got to be open to whatever comes your way.”

Condon declined to be photographed for this story.

Dana Hooper

Hooper works for Snow’s Plumbing and Heating and will be the first to tell you he does not have a lot of experience in governing. “I can probably tell you better after I’ve been there a few months,” he said when asked about the job of a school board member.

On the budget, Hooper said he would advocate for trying to maintain a sound budget with as little increase or decrease as possible. He noted that cuts could be possible depending on where the damage is being done, but added that the school still has to meet state standards to get state subsidy.

While he does not know Hurvitt, he said that he knows he used to work with Union 93 and said his experience with the towns will be nice, as it will likely mean not having to start all over.

Hooper currently has two boys in the school, one in seventh grade and one in first. “I’m more or less looking to do my duty,” said Hooper. He does not plan to go in with his own agenda, but said he will take what comes. “If you can do what’s best for the kids’ interests and keep the budget down, that’s the best, I suppose,” explained Hooper.

Hooper declined to be photographed for this story.

Jim Picariello

In a press release, write-in Jim Picariello wrote, “You might know Jim Picariello from when he was manager at the Blue Hill Co-op, or maybe when he opened the Wise Acre popsicle factory behind TradeWinds, or as the current web designer for Maine Maritime, or when he was a member of the BHCC, or as the guy who does funny magic shows for kids. Now he wants you to know him as a Brooksville School Board member.”

He explains that he has one daughter currently attending Brooksville Elementary School, with another soon to enroll. “I have a strong interest in how I can help make the school as successful as it can be,” writes Picariello

In a phone interview, Picariello added that while Brooksville has a high cost-per-student ratio at the moment, it is largely because there are not as many students in relation to the total population of the town. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with spending more, but it has to be done in a way that best benefits the kids.” He added that as a baseline, the board should look to maximize what can be done with the money already budgeted before looking to expand funding.

Picariello said he does not support consolidation if it means closing schools, but feels that a certain amount of cooperation with Union 76 makes sense: “Things like sharing buses, rotating maintenance people, that’s one thing, but…it should be specifically around resources.”

In his goals as a school board member, Picariello said he is not going in with an ax to grind. “I really support all aspects of what [the school] is now.” In his press release, he states his belief that “a small-town education is one of the best ones a child can get.” He adds that all elements of the school have an important role to help develop well-rounded children: academics, art, music, technology and sports.

As for being a write-in candidate, Picariello says he missed the deadline to take out papers when he found out about the board openings a few days too late.

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