EAST LIVERPOOL - Gary Bonnell announced he will not seek re-election to the East Liverpool City Schools Board of Education.
Bonnell said his name will not appear on the fall ballot after having served one term.
"It took some time and the consideration of several factors to reach this decision," Bonnell said. "A board member has to commit to a four-year term. I will be 62 this year, and when the next term is over will be in my late 60s. My wife and I certainly want to take some time to retire."
Bonnell's wife, Barb, is a coordinator of gifted education for several schools in Licking County, Ohio. The couple has been married since 1975.
Some health concerns also were deciding factors, according to Bonnell.
"My wife has some very serious health issues including a chronic heart problem. She was due for surgery in June, but it was postponed for six months. Priority one is to be with her," Bonnell explained. "I, myself, have had some very big health issues."
Bonnell said he did not feel like he could fulfill another term.
"I don't want to betray the trust of the voter by having to quit or step aside," he said.
Other interests will keep him preoccupied as well.
"I am in the process of writing a book, and there is possible movie rights involved," he said. "I can concentrate on that at my leisure, but it will consume a considerable amount of time."
He described the book as being a "snapshot of the start of the union and corporate culture that occurred at General Motors and ultimately resulted in the downfall of the corporation." Bonnell was a GM employee and later a federal witness in a case involving the company.
A third factor in Bonnell's decision not to run this fall centers around his concern for the district's financial future.
"You can say all you want that it's for the kids, but it is a big business," Bonnell said. "Our budget this year with building project and all is in excess of $50 million. Our general fund budget is in excess of $23 million. It's been of great concern to me where we've been headed lately."
Long before he ran for the school board in 2005, Bonnell had been keenly interested in the district's financial matters. For instance, he attended 50 of 60 meetings held by the Financial Supervision and Planning Commission both as a member of the public and, later, as a board member.
On Dec. 18, 2003, the watchdog commission was formed to monitor the district's finances due to a projected 2004 fiscal year operating deficit of $2.6 million. On March 24 of this year, the district was released from fiscal emergency status.
"I'm very concerned with the direction and the future of where our district is headed," Bonnell said. "I think that the board needs to watch out how the money is spent when we don't know what funds are available."
A member of the finance and legal committees, Bonnell pointed out the lack of a state budget and a looming levy renewal vote that generates $1.2 million for the district. Cuts may come for the foundation funding revenue stream possibly resulting in the loss of $1 million per year.
"I don't see how we can responsibly negotiate contracts and not know what funds we have available, in a nutshell, I guess," Bonnell said.
Contract negotiations with the teachers are under way. The last union negotiations were handled, in part, by Bonnell, and he said he spent a year in the effort.
As for the current contract negotiations, Bonnell said, "I've been excluded from that."
For Bonnell, the revitalization of Patterson Field, the future of the Administration Building and protecting the Mangano track facility are also pressing financial matters. The district has not set aside money for those matters.
"There are a number of items to address in addition to the teacher contracts," he said.
"I'm not real optimistic about our continued financial future," Bonnell noted.
With a dwindling population and tax base, Bonnell used the analogy of a tornado hitting East Liverpool as an example of the impact on a property owner. If one half of the homes in the city were destroyed, the property taxes for the other half of the property owners would double to make up the difference.
Health concerns, the work on a forthcoming book and financial concerns combined and led to his decision not to run, Bonnell said.
One recent incident involving the breaking and entering of his home and controversy surrounding it did not enter into the equation.
"It, absolutely, has had no impact on this," Bonnell said. "I consider what happened there as being a personal matter." He added that he is confident he would be re-elected if he did make a run in the fall.
Bonnell acknowledged that he is a lightning rod for controversy at times but defended his stance on several issues before and after serving on the board of education.
