The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

March 19, 2008

Judge appoints Kelly Bianco Brookfield school director

By Patrick W. Connelly

BROOKFIELD — Only one person cast a vote for Brookfield�s newest school board member and he isn�t even a township resident.

�It was a difficult decision to make,� Trumbull County Probate Judge Thomas A. Swift said Tuesday after swearing in Kelly Bianco as the new school director.

After reviewing the applications of 11 candidates, Swift said Mrs. Bianco, a business appraiser, got his nod because of her accounting background.

�A number of school districts have financial challenges,� the judge said. �She knows her way around a balance sheet.�

After talking with her last week over the phone, Swift said Mrs. Bianco seemed like she could �be a catalyst in moving the board forward.�

The seat opened Feb. 16 when Stephen J. Varga, the board�s vice president, resigned in a letter read at a meeting by Superintendent Steve Stohla.

The board allowed interested residents to submit applications for the seat and on March 5 school directors interviewed those candidates in a closed session.

President Joseph Pasquerilla slapped school director Dr. Ronald Brennan in a dispute over who to appoint, police said, and the meeting was adjourned without the board appointing a new member.

By law, the next step required Swift to decide among those interested.

Swift, a Vienna, Ohio, resident, said he selected Mrs. Bianco because she had a �cooperative spirit� and �no preconceived ideas� about board issues.

�She doesn�t have an agenda here,� he said.

Mrs. Bianco agreed, noting she is �independent� and can �appreciate everybody�s views.�

�I put my name in because I thought I could add some value and I hope that comes to fruition,� she said.

A Brookfield graduate herself, Mrs. Bianco, 39, said she was the valedictorian of her class before majoring in math and accounting at Grove City College.

�I care for the kids,� she said. �I want the best education that we can provide to them.�

Mrs. Bianco, who operates her own firm called Strategic Valuation Group in Howland, Ohio, worked last fall with the bond issue committee that successfully lobbied for passage of a levy to build a new school.

Mrs. Bianco�s three children � Billy, Spencer and Harrison � all attend Brookfield schools. Her father, Chuck Carrier, is serving as a representative of the district to the state during the design and construction of the new building.

Swift selected Mrs. Bianco over former board members Ronda Bonekovic, James E. Hoffman, Jerry Necastro, Joanne Sydlowski and Kenneth Warrender and five other residents.

As probate judge for the past 28 years, Swift has appointed public officials many times and said it�s both an �honor� and �challenge.�

Mrs. Bianco will finish the remainder of Varga�s term, which runs through 2009.

Text Only
Local News
  • Labor Dept.: Franchise’s workers not paid properly

    The owners of the Brookfield Subway restaurant have been paying their employees less than minimum wage, shorting them on overtime pay and violating child labor laws for two years, a federal lawsuit alleges.

    February 7, 2012

  • Insecurity: Firm loses more local clients

    Reynolds Area School District is scrambling to find people to work security at upcoming games after finding out the Pittsburgh-area security firm they were using had some guards who were convicted felons or sex offenders.
    “That was a shock, believe me,” said school board President John Lowry.

    February 7, 2012

  • School budget predictions improve

    The upshot to planning for a worst-case scenario is it makes any change an improvement.
    Such is the case with Farrell Area School District’s finances, business manager William Dungee told school board members Monday.

    February 7, 2012

  • Chief gripe: Cramped quarters

    In Sharpsville, the long arm of the law needs room to stretch out.
    Police Chief Keith Falasco told council members Monday night that his department’s current space “is at the least inadequate,” and after off-and-on talks over the years to make improvements, he said the time has come.

    February 7, 2012

  • Pets perish in house fire

    A Sharon family’s home was heavily damaged in a Saturday night fire that killed their pets.

    February 6, 2012

  • Kelly rallies GOP faithful

    Mercer County Republicans agreed it was time for a change from the current administration at their annual Lincoln Day dinner Saturday night at Hempfield Station One Banquet Center, and Congressman Mike Kelly called not only for change but for more accountability.

    February 6, 2012

  • Mother leads charge for son’s autism therapy


    Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget cuts are preventing children with autism from getting the help they need.

    February 5, 2012

  • Victim describes armed robbery at her home

    Charges were held to court Friday against a Sharon teen charged as an adult in an October armed robbery.

    February 4, 2012

  • Overheated motor starts small fire at gas well

    Jamestown volunteer firefighters put out an accidental natural gas well equipment fire Friday morning in Greene Township that started when a pump motor overheated.

    February 4, 2012

  • Burglary was man’s solution to money woes

    The end of 2010 was “a crazy time in my life,” Grant T. Lockhart told a judge Thursday.

    February 4, 2012