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Payne removes himself
as School Board Candidate
By Bob Robinson
Submitted photo below:
Joe Payne and his wife, Linda.
During the Candidates Debate, Joe Payne, who is currently sitting as an
appointed Greenville School Board member and on the ballot for
November’s election, removed himself from the candidacy for the
position.
“I know it is too late to take my name off the ballot,” Payne said.
“But if by some fluke I am elected anyway, I will resign.”
Payne has said repeatedly that he is a strong supporter of Greenville
Schools, noting that a strong school is not only good for the kids but
for the community. However, when he was asked once about his campaign
to be elected to the position he was appointed to following the
resignation of Bill Funderberg in 2010, he had said he couldn’t in good
conscience ask people to fund a campaign for the position.
“If I am elected, I will serve,” he said at that time. “If not, then I
will go back to the job I came here for… that of a pastor.”
On Monday night, he removed himself from the candidacy, noting he will
serve until the end of his appointed term.
The League of Women Voters Annual Candidates Night featured Julie
Monnin, incumbent, and Jesse Green, challenger, debating for Darke
County Municipal Judge; and Jim Sommer, incumbent Greenville School
Board Member, Payne, Diana Banta, challenger, and Fred Matix,
challenger, for two school board positions. Also debating were two
candidates vying for retiring Ward One Greenville City Council Member
Kathleen Floyd… Isabel Culbertson (D) and Clarence Godwin (R).
Also presented were State Issues 1, 2 and 3, two renewal levies, a new
Greenville Library levy and the current Greenville Schools building
levy.
Watch for details on the candidates for Municipal Judge, Greenville
School Board and City Council Members in a future County News Online.
Following is the complete statement from Payne:
“After much thought and prayer, I have decided to remove myself from
consideration as a member of the Greenville City Schools Board of
Education. I will serve out my term and step down at the
end of 2011. I understand my late decision prevents the Board of
Elections from removing my name from the ballot. Even so, I
simply ask the good citizens of the Greenville City School District not
to vote for me. If by some fluke I am elected anyway, I will
resign the position.
“Five years ago when The Payne family moved to Greenville I never would
have thought I would be serving on the school board. As the
years went by, my passion and concern for our schools only
increased. I knew, and still know today, that strong schools are
not just good for our kids; they are essential for a strong
community. When the position became vacant, I applied and
accepted the call to serve.
“While I still feel called to support our school district, I know my
call as church pastor is my first priority. While the folks at
First United Methodist have been extremely gracious and supportive in
all I do, I have come to grips with the fact that I cannot juggle the
demands of both unique positions at the same time, along with that of
husband and father. I’m letting one of them go, and this is
it. This is my decision and no one else’s, and I feel at
peace making it.
“What an honor and a privilege it has been to serve on the board this
past year! It has given me a tremendous respect for those who
have ever served in this capacity in the past, as well as those
presently serving. I am honored to have worked with Ben,
Cindy, Sue, and Jim. I thank them for appointing me to this
unexpired term. I also thank Susie, Carla, Jon, Guy, Dave,
Barb, and the whole team at the central office. The
Greenville City School district is in good hands.
“I am proud of the direction Greenville City School district is
going. Our state report card has continued to
improve. In just a few years we have gone from a “Continuous
Improvement” Rating to that of “Excellent” this year. We
have a solid administration in place. We also have a great plan
to upgrade our infrastructure so that our children will have the
facilities they need to succeed.
“To Ms. Banta, and Mr. Matix: should you be elected, I ask that
you serve as a team player along with the other members of the
board and administration, that you not come with an agenda, and
that you always, always keep the interests of the children
first. I trust Jim Sommer will do this also.
“I want to thank those who have supported me. I thank my
church. I thank those who signed my petition. I especially
thank those who took petitions so that others could sign. To my
wife, Linda, I love you. To my kids, thanks for allowing me to be
your dad. Finally, I want everyone to know that when it comes to
Greenville City Schools, I will continue to be it’s number one
fan.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, a young man I know came up to me looking
so proud. He wanted me to see his state report
card. I know that in past years he had been struggling to keep
his grades up. So when I looked at his marks I was amazed
to see that most of them were at the very top. Ladies
and gentlemen, this is just one child of many, and there are others
like him. We have good teachers, aids, classified
staff, and administrators. We are on the right track in
supporting kids like this young fellow. I urge all of
you to join me in getting behind our kids so that more of them can
succeed.”
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