Board of Ed Elects New President, Vice President

The Board of Education for the Smithtown Central School District has a new President and Vice President in Gladys Waldron and Scott Martella, respectively, voted in by their peers Wednesday night.

Five board members voted in favor of Waldron becoming President, with two opposing.

The board voted Martella in unanimously.

While pleased her peers voted to make her President, Waldron, a board member for 34 years, said this new role is coming at a time where the board is facing numerous obstacles.

“We’re facing a new superintendent search, we’re putting in all these new pieces, new people, the administrators … closing a school perhaps, maybe, and the two-percent cap and negotiation settlements with a lot unions,” she said.

Martella, who was elected to the board at the age of 22, will be 25 in September, making him the youngest member to serve on the board. Admitting age has been an obstacle at times, he said it’s an obstacle he’s overcome, as indicated by his becoming Vice President.

“[When] you’re faced with the obstacle of age your job is to prove yourself worthy of respect in any setting,” he said. “As long as you listen to people around you, you observe and you really understand the complexion of the board and the community, whenever you ask questions, wherever you make statements, they’re going to be the right statements and they’re going to be reflective of what the community desires. That’s helped me gain the respect of my colleagues and helped me I believe gain the respect of the community.”

The first full board meeting post-election that Waldron and Martella will serve in their new positions will take place July 19 at 8 p.m. in the Joseph A. Barton Building on New York Avenue.