By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Six citizens sought the Dowagiac school board appointment that went to Michelle Charles Monday night.
Charles, 37, of Wilbur Hill Road, succeeds Greg Ferrier, who resigned Oct. 9, citing business reasons for stepping down with 2 1/2 years left on his four-year term.
Sherry File of the Board of Education's Personnel Committee said they felt it's important for board members to have children attending district schools.
Charles, a 1988 Union High School graduate, and her husband, Eric, have four children: Eric, 12, attends seventh grade at Dowagiac Middle School; Paige, 11, is in fifth grade at Patrick Hamilton; Mack, 8, is in second grade at McKinley Elementary School; and Wyatt is 2.
File made the motion to appoint Charles to the term expiring in June 2009.
Larry Seurynck added, "We had such a strong group of candidates it was a really difficult choice. Every single one of them could have filled the position very well. Everybody had strong concerns about how to make the system better and everybody had a very favorable opinion of the Dowagiac schools, and I think that's part of the reason they wanted to serve. I was really shocked and pleased at the candidates who came forward. We're passing up some good candidates."
Bill Lawrence agreed. "We had very strong candidates and it was a hard decision to make."
Voting for Charles' appointment were President Randy Cuthbert, Jane Laing, Faye Edwards, Lawrence, File and Seurynck.
Charles said she became interested in serving on the board during the past two years, when she followed it closely as a parent, including attending work sessions to review curriculum data. This is her first public office.
Charles, who attended Southwestern Michigan College, brings to the board some business experience from working in quality assurance for a company for seven years.
"Then I directed the child care center at the (Apostolic) Lighthouse for the last eight," she said. She is the daughter of Pastor David Helmuth.
"Through the children, I'm involved in the schools, sports and dance," she said. "I'm honored" to be selected. "I didn't know" if she had a shot because "I'm new to the process of it all."