By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Niles Community Schools Board of Education will welcome a new school board member at its July 7 meeting.
Dana D. Daniels, a long-time resident of Niles and a cancer survivor, received 213 votes, thereby defeating former school board president, Dr. James M. Grannell, in Monday's school board election.
Grannell received 122 votes.
John R. Mattix Jr. received 230 votes and will, like Daniels, take on a four-year term on the school board.
But, Daniels is looking forward to taking on the new position as school board member and being more involved in the school district.
Daniels is thankful for those who came out to vote, whether they voted for him or not.
And, he is respectful of the work Grannell has done as a long-time school board member.
Law, somewhat surprised to see Daniels defeat Grannell, said Daniels has shown interest in the school district for a long time.
The committee, which consisted of a variety of community members, spent the better part of six months looking into the school district's needs and challenges for the future.
Mattix has served two years on the school board, currently as secretary.
He said he is happy to be re-elected, this time for four years.
That there was a contest for the two available seats on the school board, Mattix said, speaks well for Niles.
Mattix, however, said winning in the school board election is somewhat bittersweet because of the small voter turn-out.
Only 311 people voted in the school board election this year.
There are 16,000 eligible voters in the school district.
The 311 people, in that sense, make up only two percent of the school district's eligible voters.
Grannell, who is a Niles orthopedic surgeon, was unavailable for comment this morning.