Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman on Thursday vetoed the Board of Aldermen”s appointment of Susan Tomlinson to the Starkville School District board.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to veto the appointment of Susan Tomlinson to the Starkville School Board,” Wiseman said in a statement. “This decision was not easy, and I have not come to it lightly. Knowing her personally, knowing her credentials, and knowing her outstanding record of service to the schools, I have no doubt that Mrs. Tomlinson could serve the school district capably and well. However, having reviewed a deep field of uniquely qualified applicants and the current needs of the School Board, I do not feel that Mrs. Tomlinson is the best fit for the vacant position.”
Wiseman went on to say it is important for a policy-making body like the School Board to be “representative of the community” it serves.
The Starkville School District is 64 percent black, 32 percent white, 2 percent Asian, 1 percent Native American and 1 percent Hispanic. If Tomlinson, who is white, were to serve on the school board, the board would become 80 percent white and 20 percent black.
“The Starkville Board of Aldermen has the power to appoint four of the five members of the Starkville School Board,” Wiseman said. “As such, the Board of Aldermen bears the responsibility to ensure not only that appointees are qualified to serve, but also that the School Board is representative of the diverse community it serves. Diversity of representation should be considered as an important but not controlling factor in the process of appointing a school board member.”
“The Board of Aldermen did an excellent job discerning the qualifications of the applicants through the interview process, and there were a number of candidates that proved well qualified. Ultimately, I disagree with the level of attention that the Board of Aldermen gave to the importance of diversity of representation in evaluating the candidates for the position.”
Additionally, because the interview process was “complicated” by confusion over whether or not candidate L. Ann Carr was eligible to serve on the School Board, Wiseman recommended the Board of Aldermen open a fresh application process to fill the vacancy.
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