Staff Writer

ONEONTA — A retired state corrections officer has decided to challenge the three incumbents seeking election to the Oneonta Board of Education.

William Walshe, 41, has been an Oneonta resident since 1988. A resident of Southside Drive, Walshe and his wife, Janice, have two children, Alysia, 18, and Derek, 11.

Walshe, who handed in his petition Monday, will run against current board Vice President Robert Winn, who is seeking a third three-year term; Andrew Puritz, a board member running for his second three-year term; and Penny Wightman, who was appointed to the board last fall to fill a vacancy left by board member Sven Anderson, who resigned.

The board appointed Wightman in November following Anderson's resignation. Whoever wins this seat will fill out a two-year term.

According to district clerk Eileen Lishansky, the race's top two vote-getters will fill the two three-year terms. The third place candidate will fill Wightman's two-year seat.

The deadline for filing petitions is 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Petitions must contain the signatures of 100 qualified Oneonta school district voters. They may be delivered to the board of education office at 189 Main St., Suite 302, in Oneonta.

To qualify for board membership, a candidate must have been a resident of the district for at least one year. He or she may not be a current employee of the school board, may not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family, and may not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

A political newcomer, Walshe said he is running because he wants to be involved in the community. He added that he has attended school board meetings since the beginning of this year's budget session.

"I've been to meetings to get a feel for what's going on," Walshe said. "It seems like the real decisions are being made in closed-door sessions. I'd like to get in on those sessions and really learn the nuts and bolts of what's going on."

Walshe retired as a corrections officer in 1999.

Puritz said he is running again so that he may contribute to the school district.

"I've got four kids in the school system," Puritz said. "I've got tremendous respect for it and for the teachers and administrators. It feels good to know that I can contribute in some small way to make it work."

Puritz disagrees with Walshe about how the board arrives at its decisions.

"These meetings are public," Puritz said. "The only things the board does in executive session are when it discusses personnel matters, public litigation or labor negotiations. The nuts and bolts are conducted during the public meetings."

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Jill Fahy can be reached at jfahy@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7221.