`carl' Deeply Rooted  In Family's Hearts

Coaches Aim To Succeed/ King's, Wilkes Teams Under New Direction

By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@leader.net
 Friday, November 18, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 8A 





Like a relief pitcher repeatedly asked to finish games other people
started, Joe Mazur has been called again to complete the term of a resigning
Wyoming Valley West School Board member. This time he's replacing the woman
who replaced him, Janice Williams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Williams, who has two years left on her term, originally announced her
resignation at a regular meeting Nov. 9, saying it would take effect Dec. 5.
But at the end of a brief special meeting Thursday she told the board she was
resigning immediately. The board voted to accept. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Under state law, the board has 30 days after a resignation to pick a
replacement. After that, the courts make the decision. But the board wasted no
time Thursday, with member Jim Fender almost immediately nominating Mazur to
replace Williams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mazur, a former Plymouth Borough Council president, was appointed by the
court to the Wyoming Valley West School Board in June 2000, to replace Sean
Moran, who had resigned that April. Under state law, Mazur's appointment was
only good until the 2001 election, when voters got to decide who filled the
remaining two years of Moran's seat. They picked Williams over Mazur, and in
2003 Williams won re-election to a full four-year term. Now Mazur fills her
remaining two years, until the 2007 election. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the past, Mazur has freely admitted he "grew up in politics" and has
been politically involved most his life. Along with his stints as school board
member and council president, he has served as Plymouth borough coordinator,
Fourth District Democratic Committee chairman, and board member of the Wyoming
Valley Sanitary Authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Asked if she agreed with the choice of Mazur as her replacement Thursday,
Williams hesitated briefly but said his experience would be an asset as the
district faces major issues in the next year, including teachers union
contract negotiations. Other members echoed the sentiment, and they voted
unanimously to appoint Mazur, with member James Youngblood absent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the meeting Williams said she pushed up her resignation because her
daughter apparently is having health problems. She had set the Dec. 5
resignation initially so she would have more time to take care of her husband,
who has cancer, and her elderly mother. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In other business, Superintendent August Piazza announced that the district
had used two drug-sniffing dogs and one weapons-sniffing dog for an
unannounced search of all high school and middle school lockers Thursday
morning. He said it was the first such use since the district bought the dogs,
using state grant money. The dogs are housed and cared for by Plymouth and
Kingston police at no cost to the district, he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The schools were briefly "locked down," for about 20 minutes, Piazza said,
while the dogs sniffed 2,900 high school lockers and another 1800 in the
middle school. Nothing was found, a fact Piazza held up as proof the
district's "proactive approach" to drugs and weapons is working. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There was no threat or suspicion that led to the search, Piazza noted, and
he hopes to do similar searches frequently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Board President Ray Lowery also said that the state Department of Education
has agreed to review district finances and make suggestions on how the board
can fend off what Lowery repeatedly contends is a dangerous situation, with
costs rising and the tax base stagnant. He said representatives from the state
should come sometime in December. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wvw Recalls Mazur To Fill Board Seat/ Member Janice Williams Moves Up Her Departure Date, And A Replacement Is Chosen.