Council, School Committee elect Mruk to position

Date: 2/1/2011

Feb. 2, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE — In a meeting that lasted just a half-hour, the combined School Committee and City Council on Jan. 27 decided to appoint retired school teacher John Mruk to serve out the rest of the year as a member of the School Committee in the position left vacant by the death of Susan Lecca.

The decision to do so was not unanimous and a vote to table the discussion and prevent an appointment failed.

School Committee member Sharon Nawrocki expressed concern that the original purpose of the combined meeting was to determine whether or not the position should be eliminated now or be filled, rather than vote on candidates.

The School Committee had voted to eliminate the position — something that would need approval through a charter change — in order to return the School Committee to 11 members, instead of the current 12.

Nawrocki asked that, if the combined boards were going to vote on a interim member to the School Committee, shouldn't a vote be delayed in order to assemble a collection of candidates and their resumes?

The vote proceeded and some School Committee members passed on voting for any of the candidates.

The members of the combined boards, though, came ready with the names of candidates. City Councilor George Moreau nominated James Raschilla; School Committee member Chester Szetela nominated Mruk; School Committee member Donald Lamothe nominated Karen Rousseau; Nawrocki nominated Rev. Jonathan Tetherly; and City Councilor Robert Zygarowski nominated Jerry Roy.

Fourteen members of the combined boards voted for Mruk on the first ballot, giving him the position.

Mruk said he had no intention to run for School Committee during the next election and that he has no agenda to bring to the committee.

"Chicopee has been good to me and I wanted to give back," he said.

He added, "I just thought I have an opportunity to share some of the expertise I had from working at Ellington [High School in Connecticut]."

Mruk was raided in Chicopee and is a graduate of Chicopee High School (CHS). He has spent 20 years of his teaching career at Ellington High School and he taught at CHS for 19 years. He currently is an adjunct instructor at the Elms College.

He said he would like to bring "some harmony to the board ... [and] would do what I can to promote harmony."